by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at LCU? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 68% students making it past their freshmen year, LCU 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 | |
|---|---|
| LCU | 68% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Texas | 68.17% |
Of the 395 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 29% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 54% of the students had graduated and after eight years 55% 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 LCU graduation rate 54%.
The typical LCU student takes 4.37 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 321 | 44% |
| Six Years | 395 | 54% |
| Eight Years | 10 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 328 | 45% |
Approximately 328 students or 45% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 328 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
230 transferred to another institution.
LCU lost contact with the remaining 96 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.3% |
| Transferred | 230 | 70.1% |
| Dropped Out | 96 | 29.3% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 25% |
| Black / African-American | 22% |
| Hispanic | 33% |
| International | 50% |
| White | 56% |
First-time, full-time students, under the age of 25 are known as traditional students. These students are more likely to graduate in four years than so called 'non-traditional' students that includes part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. Some schools cater to non-traditional students and it may affect their overall graduation rates.
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 LCU are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
How does this school do graduating the type of student you are most concerned bout?
First-time / full-time students at Lubbock Christian University represent 45% of the students in the class of 2015, and 38.73% of LCU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 29%, first-time students in the LCU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the LCU graduation rate was 47%, and by the eight year mark, 48% 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 | LCU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 29% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 47% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 47.82% |
171 first-time / full-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
115 transferred to another institution.
LCU lost contact with the remaining 55 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.58% |
| Transferred | 115 | 67.25% |
| Dropped Out | 55 | 32.16% |
First-time / part-time students at Lubbock Christian University represent 0.54% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 25%, first-time, part-time students in the LCU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 25%.
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 | LCU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 25% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 25% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 23.72% |
3 first-time / part-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
LCU lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 66.67% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 33.33% |
272 LCU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 37.06% 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 65%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 66%.
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 | LCU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 65% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 66% | 55.07% |
92 non first-time / part-time students or 34% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
68 transferred to another institution.
LCU lost contact with the remaining 24 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 68 | 73.91% |
| Dropped Out | 24 | 26.09% |
129 LCU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 17.57% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 49%, 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 52%.
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 | LCU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 49% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 37.80% |
62 non first-time / part-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
45 transferred to another institution.
LCU lost contact with the remaining 16 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.61% |
| Transferred | 45 | 72.58% |
| Dropped Out | 16 | 25.81% |
