by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Iona first-year students return for their second year, and how many go on to graduate? Retention and graduation rates help you understand how students progress at Iona. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 77% students making it past their freshmen year, Iona 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 New York, the average is 73.51%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Iona | 77% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
Of the 613 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 49% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 57% of the students had graduated and after eight years 57% 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 Iona graduation rate 57%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 535 | 49% |
| Six Years | 613 | 57% |
| Eight Years | 8 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 462 | 43% |
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 462 students or 43% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 462 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
349 transferred to another institution.
Iona lost contact with the remaining 111 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.2% |
| Transferred | 349 | 75.5% |
| Dropped Out | 111 | 24.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 78% |
| Black / African-American | 50% |
| Hispanic | 49% |
| International | 53% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 22% |
| Unknown | 48% |
| White | 66% |
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.
The majority of students at Iona are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Iona University represent 87.44% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Iona graduation rate was 56%, and by the eight year mark, 57% 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 | Iona | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 48% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 56% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 57% | 47.82% |
408 first-time / full-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
316 transferred to another institution.
Iona lost contact with the remaining 91 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.25% |
| Transferred | 316 | 77.45% |
| Dropped Out | 91 | 22.30% |
At this time we lack data for this cohort at Iona University.
Returning / full-time students at Iona University represent 12.37% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Iona graduation rate was 60%, and by the eight year mark, 60% 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 | Iona | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 60% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 60% | 55.07% |
54 non first-time / part-time students or 40% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
33 transferred to another institution.
Iona lost contact with the remaining 20 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.85% |
| Transferred | 33 | 61.11% |
| Dropped Out | 20 | 37.04% |
Returning / part-time students at Iona University represent 0.18% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Iona graduation rate was 100%, and by the eight year mark, 100% 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 | Iona | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 100% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 100% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 37.80% |
