GCC Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

Glendale Community College 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Are students coming back to GCC after their first year? Are GCC students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.

• GCC Retention Rate
• GCC Graduation Rate
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
• GCC Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

GCC Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.

With 69% students making it past their freshmen year, GCC has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.

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

When looking at just colleges and universities in California, the average is 73.07%.

GCC Graduation Rates

There were approximately 4,283 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

23% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 22% in six years, and 24% in eight years.

Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical GCC graduation rate 22%.

GCC Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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GCC Drop Out Rate

Approximately 15059 students or 76% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 15059 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 6817 transferred to another institution.

• GCC lost contact with the remaining 7942 who we assumed dropped out.

GCC Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.

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 GCC are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.

Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.

First-Time / Full-Time GCC Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at Glendale Community College represent 9% of the students in the class of 2015, and 12.16% of GCC bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 23%, first-time students in the GCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the GCC graduation rate was 30%, and by the eight year mark, 33% 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.

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

First-Time / Full-Time GCC Drop Out Rates

1154 first-time / full-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 377 transferred to another institution.

• GCC lost contact with the remaining 756 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

First-time / part-time students at Glendale Community College represent 8.52% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 18%, first-time, part-time students in the GCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 21%.

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.

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

First-Time / Part-Time GCC Drop Out Rates

1325 first-time / part-time students or 79% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 35 are still enrolled.

• 349 transferred to another institution.

• GCC lost contact with the remaining 941 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

6873 GCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 34.75% 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 29%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 31%.

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.

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

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

4735 non first-time / part-time students or 69% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 80 are still enrolled.

• 2464 transferred to another institution.

• GCC lost contact with the remaining 2191 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

9504 GCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 48.05% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 16%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 17%.

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.

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

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

7845 non first-time / part-time students or 83% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 164 are still enrolled.

• 3627 transferred to another institution.

• GCC lost contact with the remaining 4054 who we assumed dropped out.

More Resources:

• An Explanation of Freshman Retention Rates.

• How Common is it to Transfer to a Different College?

• Are Non-Traditional Students Less Likely to Graduate?

• How Many People Drop-Out of College?

• How Average Time to Graduate Can Affect the Value of Your Degree.

References

• National Center for Education Statistics