by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding LMC 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 91% students making it past their freshmen year, LMC 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 Michigan, the average is 70.80%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| LMC | 91% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Michigan | 70.80% |
How many of the estimated 284 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 18% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 16% of the students had graduated and after eight years 17% of this class completed their degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official LMC graduation rate 16%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 260 | 14% |
| Six Years | 284 | 16% |
| Eight Years | 21 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,512 | 83% |
Approximately 1512 students or 83% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1512 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
592 transferred to another institution.
LMC lost contact with the remaining 890 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 592 | 39.2% |
| Dropped Out | 890 | 58.9% |
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 LMC 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 Lake Michigan College represent 37% of the students in the class of 2015, and 46.83% of LMC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 18%, first-time students in the LMC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the LMC graduation rate was 20%, and by the eight year mark, 21% 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 | LMC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 18% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 20% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 21% | 47.82% |
536 first-time / full-time students or 79% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
220 transferred to another institution.
LMC lost contact with the remaining 301 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 220 | 41.04% |
| Dropped Out | 301 | 56.16% |
First-time / part-time students at Lake Michigan College represent 35.17% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 10%, first-time, part-time students in the LMC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 11%.
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 | LMC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 10% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 11% | 23.72% |
566 first-time / part-time students or 89% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
8 are still enrolled.
166 transferred to another institution.
LMC lost contact with the remaining 392 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 1.41% |
| Transferred | 166 | 29.33% |
| Dropped Out | 392 | 69.26% |
188 LMC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 10.35% 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 21%, 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 22%.
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 | LMC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 21% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 55.07% |
147 non first-time / part-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
84 transferred to another institution.
LMC lost contact with the remaining 61 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.36% |
| Transferred | 84 | 57.14% |
| Dropped Out | 61 | 41.50% |
312 LMC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 17.17% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 14%, 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 16%.
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 | LMC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 14% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 16% | 37.80% |
263 non first-time / part-time students or 84% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
122 transferred to another institution.
LMC lost contact with the remaining 136 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 1.90% |
| Transferred | 122 | 46.39% |
| Dropped Out | 136 | 51.71% |
