College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

HCC Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

24% 4-Year Graduation Rate
17% 6-Year Graduation Rate
66% Retention Rate

Howard Community College 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Make an informed decision about your education by understanding HCC 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.

HCC Retention Rate

66% Freshmen Retention Rate
Below Average Retention Rate

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

With 66% students making it past their freshmen year, HCC 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 Maryland, the average is 71.84%.

HCC Retention  66 out of 100
0%
100%
Maryland Retention  72 out of 100
0%
100%
undefined
Retention Rate
HCC66%
Nationwide70.57%
Maryland71.84%
Low retention rates may be a signal that a lot of students plan on transferring after a year or two. Is that the case here?

HCC Graduation Rates

17% 6-Year Graduation Rate
30.27% Transfer Rate
48.32% Dropout Rate

There were approximately 810 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

After four years 24% of the cohort graduated. After six years 17% had completed their degree, and 19% after eight years.

The official graduation rate of HCC is 17%. 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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  13%
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  17%
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  19%
0%
100%

HCC Graduation Rates vs. National Average

undefined

undefined

Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years62913%
Six Years81017%
Eight Years792%
Did Not Complete3,89281%
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.
Request More Info About Howard Community College
Request More Info About Howard Community College >

HCC Drop Out Rate

Approximately 3892 students or 81% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 3892 students who did not complete their degree?

undefined
Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.0%
Transferred144737.2%
Dropped Out2,31059.4%

HCC Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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 HCC 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 HCC Graduation Rates

25% First-Time, Full-Time
30% 6-Year Grad Rate
Low Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at Howard Community College represent 25% of the students in the class of 2015, and 44.20% of HCC bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 24%, first-time students in the HCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the HCC graduation rate was 30%, and by the eight year mark, 32% 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  24 out of 100
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  30 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  32 out of 100
0%
100%

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

undefined
First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsHCCNationwide
Four Years24%37.92%
Six Years30%46.43%
Eight Years32%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time HCC Drop Out Rates

825 first-time / full-time students or 68% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

undefined
First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred36243.88%
Dropped Out42451.39%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

27% First-Time, Part-Time
13% 6-Year Grad Rate
Low Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at Howard Community College represent 27.19% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 13%, first-time, part-time students in the HCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 15%.

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  13 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  15 out of 100
0%
100%

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

undefined
First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsHCCNationwide
Four Years9%14.37%
Six Years13%21.59%
Eight Years15%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time HCC Drop Out Rates

1100 first-time / part-time students or 85% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

undefined
First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled565.09%
Transferred32229.27%
Dropped Out72265.64%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

9% Returning, Full-Time
24% 6-Year Grad Rate
Low Grad Rate

419 HCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 8.76% 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 24%, 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 26%.

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  24 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  26 out of 100
0%
100%

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

undefined
Returning / Full-Time CompletionsHCCNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years24%53.83%
Eight Years26%55.07%

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

310 non first-time / part-time students or 74% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

undefined
First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled82.58%
Transferred16252.26%
Dropped Out14045.16%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

39% Returning, Part-Time
10% 6-Year Grad Rate
Low Grad Rate

1852 HCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 38.74% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 10%, 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 11%.

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  10 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  11 out of 100
0%
100%

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

undefined
Returning / Part-Time CompletionsHCCNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years10%36.03%
Eight Years11%37.80%

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

1657 non first-time / part-time students or 89% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

undefined
Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled321.93%
Transferred60136.27%
Dropped Out1,02461.80%

More Resources:

References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options