by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at GRC? 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Washington, the average is 73.95%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| GRC | |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Washington | 73.95% |
Of the 4,112 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 36% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 40% of the students had graduated and after eight years 41% of this class completed their degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official GRC graduation rate 40%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3,919 | 38% |
| Six Years | 4,112 | 40% |
| Eight Years | 65 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 6,136 | 59% |
Approximately 6136 students or 59% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 6136 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
2737 transferred to another institution.
GRC lost contact with the remaining 3311 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 2737 | 44.6% |
| Dropped Out | 3,311 | 54.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 49% |
| Black / African-American | 21% |
| Hispanic | 44% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 30% |
| Unknown | 43% |
| White | 39% |
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 GRC 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 students at Green River College represent 17% of the students in the class of 2015, and 16.12% of GRC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 36%, first-time students in the GRC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the GRC graduation rate was 38%, and by the eight year mark, 39% 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.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | GRC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 36% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 38% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 39% | 47.82% |
1064 first-time / full-time students or 61% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
558 transferred to another institution.
GRC lost contact with the remaining 493 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 558 | 52.44% |
| Dropped Out | 493 | 46.33% |
First-time / part-time students at Green River College represent 13.51% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 21%, first-time, part-time students in the GRC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 22%.
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 Completions | GRC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 19% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 21% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 23.72% |
1086 first-time / part-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
20 are still enrolled.
530 transferred to another institution.
GRC lost contact with the remaining 536 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 20 | 1.84% |
| Transferred | 530 | 48.80% |
| Dropped Out | 536 | 49.36% |
3300 GRC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 32.00% 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 52%, 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 52%.
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.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | GRC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 52% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 55.07% |
1570 non first-time / part-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
20 are still enrolled.
620 transferred to another institution.
GRC lost contact with the remaining 930 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 20 | 1.27% |
| Transferred | 620 | 39.49% |
| Dropped Out | 930 | 59.24% |
3880 GRC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 37.62% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 37%, 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 38%.
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.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | GRC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 37% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 37.80% |
2416 non first-time / part-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
35 are still enrolled.
1029 transferred to another institution.
GRC lost contact with the remaining 1352 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 35 | 1.45% |
| Transferred | 1029 | 42.59% |
| Dropped Out | 1,352 | 55.96% |
