by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at MCU? 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 65% students making it past their freshmen year, MCU 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 California, the average is 73.07%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| MCU | 65% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
How many of the estimated 162 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
After four years 24% of the cohort graduated. After six years 34% had completed their degree, and 35% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of MCU is 34%. 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.
The average MCU student takes 4.65 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 119 | 25% |
| Six Years | 162 | 34% |
| Eight Years | 8 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 310 | 65% |
Approximately 310 students or 65% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 310 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
205 transferred to another institution.
MCU lost contact with the remaining 105 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 205 | 66.1% |
| Dropped Out | 105 | 33.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 64% |
| Black / African-American | 53% |
| Hispanic | 45% |
| International | 9% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 75% |
| Unknown | 33% |
| White | 33% |
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 MCU 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 Marymount California University represent 76% of the students in the class of 2015, and 78.40% of MCU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 24%, first-time students in the MCU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the MCU graduation rate was 35%, and by the eight year mark, 36% 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 | MCU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 24% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 35% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 47.82% |
232 first-time / full-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
200 transferred to another institution.
MCU lost contact with the remaining 32 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 200 | 86.21% |
| Dropped Out | 32 | 13.79% |
First-time / part-time students at Marymount California University represent 1.88% of the students in the class of 2015.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | MCU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 1% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 1% | 23.72% |
9 first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
MCU lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 33.33% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 66.67% |
100 MCU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 20.83% 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 33%, 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 35%.
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 | MCU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 33% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 35% | 55.07% |
65 non first-time / part-time students or 65% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
MCU lost contact with the remaining 63 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 3.08% |
| Dropped Out | 63 | 96.92% |
6 MCU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 1.25% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 33%, 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 33%.
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 | MCU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 33% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 37.80% |
4 non first-time / part-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
MCU lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 100.00% |
