by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Lamar University 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 69% students making it past their freshmen year, Lamar University 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 Texas, the average is 68.17%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Lamar University | 69% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Texas | 68.17% |
Of the 1,068 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 9% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 33% of the students had graduated and after eight years 36% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of Lamar University is 33%. 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.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Lamar University? The standard length of time for most students is 4.72 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 595 | 18% |
| Six Years | 1,068 | 33% |
| Eight Years | 113 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 2,086 | 64% |
Approximately 2086 students or 64% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2086 students who did not complete their degree?
29 are still enrolled.
1072 transferred to another institution.
Lamar University lost contact with the remaining 943 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 29 | 1.4% |
| Transferred | 1072 | 51.4% |
| Dropped Out | 943 | 45.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 30% |
| Asian | 56% |
| Black / African-American | 25% |
| Hawaiian | 60% |
| Hispanic | 32% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 34% |
| Unknown | 29% |
| White | 45% |
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 Lamar University 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 Lamar University represent 55% of the students in the class of 2015, and 47.19% of Lamar University bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 9%, first-time students in the Lamar University class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Lamar University graduation rate was 28%, and by the eight year mark, 32% 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 | Lamar University | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 28% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 32% | 47.82% |
1222 first-time / full-time students or 68% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
29 are still enrolled.
676 transferred to another institution.
Lamar University lost contact with the remaining 509 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 29 | 2.37% |
| Transferred | 676 | 55.32% |
| Dropped Out | 509 | 41.65% |
First-time / part-time students at Lamar University represent 4.25% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 8%, first-time, part-time students in the Lamar University class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 13%.
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 | Lamar University | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 8% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 13% | 23.72% |
121 first-time / part-time students or 87% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
59 transferred to another institution.
Lamar University lost contact with the remaining 60 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.65% |
| Transferred | 59 | 48.76% |
| Dropped Out | 60 | 49.59% |
790 Lamar University students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 24.16% 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 43%, 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 45%.
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 | Lamar University | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 43% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 45% | 55.07% |
434 non first-time / part-time students or 55% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
18 are still enrolled.
220 transferred to another institution.
Lamar University lost contact with the remaining 196 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 18 | 4.15% |
| Transferred | 220 | 50.69% |
| Dropped Out | 196 | 45.16% |
537 Lamar University students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.42% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 39%, 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 | Lamar University | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 39% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 42% | 37.80% |
309 non first-time / part-time students or 58% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
14 are still enrolled.
117 transferred to another institution.
Lamar University lost contact with the remaining 178 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 14 | 4.53% |
| Transferred | 117 | 37.86% |
| Dropped Out | 178 | 57.61% |
