by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding LCC 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.
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on the retention rate for Lower Columbia College.
There were approximately 752 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 38% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 41% of the students had graduated and after eight years 42% 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 LCC graduation rate 41%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 696 | 38% |
| Six Years | 752 | 41% |
| Eight Years | 26 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 1058 | 58% |
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 1058 students or 58% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1058 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
349 transferred to another institution.
LCC lost contact with the remaining 681 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 349 | 33.0% |
| Dropped Out | 681 | 64.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 50% |
| Asian | 20% |
| Black / African-American | 20% |
| Hispanic | 7% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 17% |
| Unknown | 42% |
| White | 27% |
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.
A meaningful share of students at LCC are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Lower Columbia College represent 19.28% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the LCC graduation rate was 29%, and by the eight year mark, 30% 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 | LCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 26% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 29% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 30% | 47.82% |
248 first-time / full-time students or 70% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
7 are still enrolled.
81 transferred to another institution.
LCC lost contact with the remaining 160 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 7 | 2.82% |
| Transferred | 81 | 32.66% |
| Dropped Out | 160 | 64.52% |
First-time / part-time students at Lower Columbia College represent 13.62% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the LCC graduation rate was 24%, and by the eight year mark, 26% 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 | LCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 19% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 24% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 26% | 23.72% |
184 first-time / part-time students or 74% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
72 transferred to another institution.
LCC lost contact with the remaining 110 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.09% |
| Transferred | 72 | 39.13% |
| Dropped Out | 110 | 59.78% |
Returning / full-time students at Lower Columbia College represent 25.38% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the LCC graduation rate was 52%, and by the eight year mark, 53% 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 | LCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 52% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 53% | 55.07% |
217 non first-time / part-time students or 47% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
65 transferred to another institution.
LCC lost contact with the remaining 146 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 2.76% |
| Transferred | 65 | 29.95% |
| Dropped Out | 146 | 67.28% |
Returning / part-time students at Lower Columbia College represent 41.72% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the LCC graduation rate was 45%, and by the eight year mark, 47% 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 | LCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 42% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 45% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 47% | 37.80% |
409 non first-time / part-time students or 53% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
13 are still enrolled.
131 transferred to another institution.
LCC lost contact with the remaining 265 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 13 | 3.18% |
| Transferred | 131 | 32.03% |
| Dropped Out | 265 | 64.79% |
