by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many King 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 King. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 60% students making it past their freshmen year, King has freshmen retention rates below the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Tennessee, the average is 71.48%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| King | 60% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Tennessee | 71.48% |
There were approximately 586 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 59% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 61% of the students had graduated and after eight years 62% 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 King graduation rate 61%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 565 | 59% |
| Six Years | 586 | 61% |
| Eight Years | 8 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 367 | 38% |
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 367 students or 38% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 367 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
191 transferred to another institution.
King lost contact with the remaining 175 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 191 | 52.0% |
| Dropped Out | 175 | 47.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Black / African-American | 17% |
| Hispanic | 48% |
| International | 67% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 75% |
| White | 51% |
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.
A meaningful share of students at King are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at King University represent 22.12% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the King graduation rate was 43%, and by the eight year mark, 44% 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 | King | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 38% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 43% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 44% | 47.82% |
118 first-time / full-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
69 transferred to another institution.
King lost contact with the remaining 49 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 69 | 58.47% |
| Dropped Out | 49 | 41.53% |
First-time / part-time students at King University represent 0.42% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the King graduation rate was 0%, and by the eight year mark, 0% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | King | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 0% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 0% | 23.72% |
4 first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
King lost contact with the remaining 2 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 2 | 50.00% |
Returning / full-time students at King University represent 71.44% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the King graduation rate was 69%, and by the eight year mark, 70% 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 | King | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 69% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 70% | 55.07% |
208 non first-time / part-time students or 30% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
99 transferred to another institution.
King lost contact with the remaining 108 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.48% |
| Transferred | 99 | 47.60% |
| Dropped Out | 108 | 51.92% |
Returning / part-time students at King University represent 6.02% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the King graduation rate was 33%, and by the eight year mark, 35% 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 | King | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 32% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 33% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 35% | 37.80% |
37 non first-time / part-time students or 65% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
21 transferred to another institution.
King lost contact with the remaining 16 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 21 | 56.76% |
| Dropped Out | 16 | 43.24% |
