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GWU Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

73% 4-Year Graduation Rate
80% 6-Year Graduation Rate
88% Retention Rate

George Washington University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How long does it take to earn a degree at GWU? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.

GWU Retention Rate

88% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.

With 88% students making it past their freshmen year, GWU has freshmen retention rates above the national average.

Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.

When looking at just colleges and universities in District of Columbia, the average is 78.47%.

GWU Retention  88 out of 100
0%
100%
District of Columbia Retention  78 out of 100
0%
100%
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Retention Rate
GWU88%
Nationwide70.57%
District of Columbia78.47%

GWU Graduation Rates

80% 6-Year Graduation Rate
13.71% Transfer Rate
5.35% Dropout Rate

How many of the estimated 2,218 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?

73% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 80% in six years, and 81% in eight years.

The official graduation rate of GWU is 80%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.

How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at GWU? The standard length of time for most students is 4.10 years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  73%
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  80%
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  81%
0%
100%

GWU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years2,03073%
Six Years2,21880%
Eight Years201%
Did Not Complete53919%
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
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GWU Drop Out Rate

Approximately 539 students or 19% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 539 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled40.7%
Transferred38270.9%
Dropped Out14927.6%

GWU Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native100%
Asian83%
Black / African-American82%
Hawaiian50%
Hispanic80%
International86%
Multi-Ethnic85%
Unknown85%
White87%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.

Traditional Students:

First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.

Non-Traditional Students:

Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.

The majority of students at GWU are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.

Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.

First-Time / Full-Time GWU Graduation Rates

80% First-Time, Full-Time
81% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at George Washington University represent 80% of the students in the class of 2015, and 81.02% of GWU bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 73%, first-time students in the GWU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the GWU graduation rate was 81%, and by the eight year mark, 81% of the cohort had completed their degree.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  73 out of 100
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  81 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  81 out of 100
0%
100%

GWU First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsGWUNationwide
Four Years73%37.92%
Six Years81%46.43%
Eight Years81%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time GWU Drop Out Rates

414 first-time / full-time students or 19% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled40.97%
Transferred31074.88%
Dropped Out10124.40%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

1% First-Time, Part-Time
38% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at George Washington University represent 0.57% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 38%, first-time, part-time students in the GWU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 38%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  38 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  38 out of 100
0%
100%

First-Time / Part-Time GWU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsGWUNationwide
Four Years38%14.37%
Six Years38%21.59%
Eight Years38%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time GWU Drop Out Rates

10 first-time / part-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred660.00%
Dropped Out440.00%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

16% Returning, Full-Time
84% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

444 GWU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.93% of the students in the class of 2015.

Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.

With a six year graduation rate of 84%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 84%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  84 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  84 out of 100
0%
100%

GWU Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsGWUNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years84%53.83%
Eight Years84%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time GWU Drop Out Rates

73 non first-time / part-time students or 16% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled11.37%
Transferred4764.38%
Dropped Out2534.25%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

3% Returning, Part-Time
50% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

88 GWU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 3.16% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 50%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 52%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  50 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  52 out of 100
0%
100%

GWU Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsGWUNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years50%36.03%
Eight Years52%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time GWU Drop Out Rates

42 non first-time / part-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled49.52%
Transferred1945.24%
Dropped Out1945.24%

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