by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Golden West College retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 70% students making it past their freshmen year, Golden West College has freshmen retention rates near 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%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Golden West College | 70% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
There were approximately 1735 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 24% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 27% of the students had graduated and after eight years 29% of this class completed their degree.
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 Golden West College graduation rate 27%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1503 | 24% |
| Six Years | 1735 | 27% |
| Eight Years | 81 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 4548 | 71% |
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.
Approximately 4548 students or 71% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 4548 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
2241 transferred to another institution.
Golden West College lost contact with the remaining 2268 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 2241 | 49.3% |
| Dropped Out | 2268 | 49.9% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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.
A meaningful share of students at Golden West College are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Golden West College represent 19.92% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Golden West College graduation rate was 48%, and by the eight year mark, 50% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | Golden West College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 43% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 48% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 47.82% |
635 first-time / full-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
10 are still enrolled.
179 transferred to another institution.
Golden West College lost contact with the remaining 446 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 10 | 1.57% |
| Transferred | 179 | 28.19% |
| Dropped Out | 446 | 70.24% |
First-time / part-time students at Golden West College represent 20.10% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Golden West College graduation rate was 30%, and by the eight year mark, 32% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | Golden West College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 25% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 30% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 32% | 23.72% |
874 first-time / part-time students or 68% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
13 are still enrolled.
269 transferred to another institution.
Golden West College lost contact with the remaining 592 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 13 | 1.49% |
| Transferred | 269 | 30.78% |
| Dropped Out | 592 | 67.73% |
Returning / full-time students at Golden West College represent 8.05% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Golden West College graduation rate was 41%, and by the eight year mark, 43% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Completions | Golden West College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 41% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 55.07% |
294 non first-time / part-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
171 transferred to another institution.
Golden West College lost contact with the remaining 121 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.68% |
| Transferred | 171 | 58.16% |
| Dropped Out | 121 | 41.16% |
Returning / part-time students at Golden West College represent 51.93% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Golden West College graduation rate was 16%, and by the eight year mark, 17% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 30.46% after four years, 36.03% after six years, and 37.80% after eight years.
| Completions | Golden West College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 13% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 16% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 17% | 37.80% |
2745 non first-time / part-time students or 83% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
14 are still enrolled.
1622 transferred to another institution.
Golden West College lost contact with the remaining 1109 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 14 | 0.51% |
| Transferred | 1622 | 59.09% |
| Dropped Out | 1109 | 40.40% |
