by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Drake State? 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 50% students making it past their freshmen year, Drake State 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 Alabama, the average is 66.79%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Drake State | 50% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Alabama | 66.79% |
There were approximately 149 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
17% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 21% in six years, and 21% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of Drake State is 21%. 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.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 136 | 19% |
| Six Years | 149 | 21% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 571 | 79% |
Approximately 571 students or 79% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 571 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
218 transferred to another institution.
Drake State lost contact with the remaining 351 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 218 | 38.2% |
| Dropped Out | 351 | 61.5% |
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 Drake State 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 J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College represent 30% of the students in the class of 2015, and 26.17% of Drake State bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time students in the Drake State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Drake State graduation rate was 18%, and by the eight year mark, 18% 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 | Drake State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 17% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 18% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 18% | 47.82% |
175 first-time / full-time students or 82% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
48 transferred to another institution.
Drake State lost contact with the remaining 126 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 48 | 27.43% |
| Dropped Out | 126 | 72.00% |
First-time / part-time students at J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College represent 21.36% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 14%, first-time, part-time students in the Drake State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 14%.
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 | Drake State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 13% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 14% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 14% | 23.72% |
132 first-time / part-time students or 86% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
43 transferred to another institution.
Drake State lost contact with the remaining 88 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.76% |
| Transferred | 43 | 32.58% |
| Dropped Out | 88 | 66.67% |
172 Drake State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 23.86% 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 25%.
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 | Drake State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 24% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 55.07% |
129 non first-time / part-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
70 transferred to another institution.
Drake State lost contact with the remaining 59 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 70 | 54.26% |
| Dropped Out | 59 | 45.74% |
181 Drake State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 25.10% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 25%, 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 25%.
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 | Drake State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 25% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 37.80% |
135 non first-time / part-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
57 transferred to another institution.
Drake State lost contact with the remaining 78 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 57 | 42.22% |
| Dropped Out | 78 | 57.78% |
