by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Kent State after their first year? Are Kent State students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 82% students making it past their freshmen year, Kent State 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 Ohio, the average is 69.84%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Kent State | 82% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Ohio | 69.84% |
Of the 3,428 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
After four years 41% of the cohort graduated. After six years 55% had completed their degree, and 57% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of Kent State is 55%. 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.
The average Kent State student takes 4.20 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2,654 | 43% |
| Six Years | 3,428 | 55% |
| Eight Years | 84 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 2,673 | 43% |
Approximately 2673 students or 43% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2673 students who did not complete their degree?
12 are still enrolled.
1610 transferred to another institution.
Kent State lost contact with the remaining 1020 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 12 | 0.4% |
| Transferred | 1610 | 60.2% |
| Dropped Out | 1,020 | 38.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 40% |
| Asian | 66% |
| Black / African-American | 57% |
| Hispanic | 54% |
| International | 60% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 51% |
| Unknown | 62% |
| White | 67% |
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 Kent State 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 Kent State University at Kent represent 72% of the students in the class of 2015, and 72.23% of Kent State bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 41%, first-time students in the Kent State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Kent State graduation rate was 56%, and by the eight year mark, 57% 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 | Kent State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 41% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 56% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 57% | 47.82% |
1885 first-time / full-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
12 are still enrolled.
1152 transferred to another institution.
Kent State lost contact with the remaining 702 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 12 | 0.64% |
| Transferred | 1152 | 61.11% |
| Dropped Out | 702 | 37.24% |
First-time / part-time students at Kent State University at Kent represent 1.73% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 18%, first-time, part-time students in the Kent 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 20%.
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 | Kent State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 7% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 18% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 20% | 23.72% |
86 first-time / part-time students or 80% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
34 transferred to another institution.
Kent State lost contact with the remaining 49 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 3.49% |
| Transferred | 34 | 39.53% |
| Dropped Out | 49 | 56.98% |
1278 Kent State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 20.62% 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 61%, 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 62%.
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 | Kent State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 61% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 55.07% |
482 non first-time / part-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
313 transferred to another institution.
Kent State lost contact with the remaining 164 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 1.04% |
| Transferred | 313 | 64.94% |
| Dropped Out | 164 | 34.02% |
379 Kent State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 6.11% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 41%, 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 42%.
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 | Kent State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 41% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 42% | 37.80% |
220 non first-time / part-time students or 58% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
111 transferred to another institution.
Kent State lost contact with the remaining 105 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 1.82% |
| Transferred | 111 | 50.45% |
| Dropped Out | 105 | 47.73% |
