by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Harvard after their first year? Are Harvard students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 76% students making it past their freshmen year, Harvard 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Harvard | 76% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
How many of the estimated 1,604 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
84% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 96% in six years, and 97% 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 Harvard graduation rate 96%.
The typical Harvard student takes 4.15 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,408 | 84% |
| Six Years | 1,604 | 96% |
| Eight Years | 18 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 48 | 3% |
Approximately 48 students or 3% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 48 students who did not complete their degree?
5 are still enrolled.
8 transferred to another institution.
Harvard lost contact with the remaining 31 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 10.4% |
| Transferred | 8 | 16.7% |
| Dropped Out | 31 | 64.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 99% |
| Black / African-American | 97% |
| Hispanic | 98% |
| International | 94% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 97% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 98% |
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 Harvard 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 students at Harvard University represent 99% of the students in the class of 2015, and 99.19% of Harvard bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 84%, first-time students in the Harvard class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Harvard graduation rate was 96%, and by the eight year mark, 97% 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 | Harvard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 84% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 96% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 97% | 47.82% |
47 first-time / full-time students or 3% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
8 transferred to another institution.
Harvard lost contact with the remaining 30 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 10.64% |
| Transferred | 8 | 17.02% |
| Dropped Out | 30 | 63.83% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Harvard first-time, part-time students.
14 Harvard students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.84% 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 93%, 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 93%.
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 | Harvard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 93% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 93% | 55.07% |
1 non first-time / part-time students or 7% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Harvard lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 100.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Harvard returning, part-time students.
