by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Linfield 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 Linfield. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 80% students making it past their freshmen year, Linfield 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 Oregon, the average is 67.48%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Linfield | 80% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Oregon | 67.48% |
There were approximately 548 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 67% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 74% of the students had graduated and after eight years 75% 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 Linfield graduation rate 74%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 496 | 67% |
| Six Years | 548 | 74% |
| Eight Years | 8 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 182 | 25% |
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 182 students or 25% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 182 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
113 transferred to another institution.
Linfield lost contact with the remaining 69 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 113 | 62.1% |
| Dropped Out | 69 | 37.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 33% |
| Asian | 64% |
| Black / African-American | 43% |
| Hawaiian | 60% |
| Hispanic | 61% |
| International | 80% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 63% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 67% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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 Linfield are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Linfield University represent 53.65% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Linfield graduation rate was 71%, and by the eight year mark, 72% 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 | Linfield | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 59% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 71% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 72% | 47.82% |
110 first-time / full-time students or 28% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
77 transferred to another institution.
Linfield lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 77 | 70.00% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 30.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data for this cohort at Linfield University.
Returning / full-time students at Linfield University represent 27.57% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Linfield graduation rate was 84%, and by the eight year mark, 85% 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 | Linfield | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 84% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 85% | 55.07% |
31 non first-time / part-time students or 15% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
17 transferred to another institution.
Linfield lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 17 | 54.84% |
| Dropped Out | 14 | 45.16% |
Returning / part-time students at Linfield University represent 18.78% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Linfield graduation rate was 70%, and by the eight year mark, 71% 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 | Linfield | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 68% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 70% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 71% | 37.80% |
41 non first-time / part-time students or 29% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
19 transferred to another institution.
Linfield lost contact with the remaining 22 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 19 | 46.34% |
| Dropped Out | 22 | 53.66% |
