by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding MCLA 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 72% students making it past their freshmen year, MCLA 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| MCLA | 72% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
Of the 332 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 41% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 58% of the students had graduated and after eight years 59% of this class completed their degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official MCLA graduation rate 58%.
The average length of time it takes an MCLA undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.17 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 279 | 49% |
| Six Years | 332 | 58% |
| Eight Years | 7 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 233 | 41% |
Approximately 233 students or 41% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 233 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
164 transferred to another institution.
MCLA lost contact with the remaining 66 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 164 | 70.4% |
| Dropped Out | 66 | 28.3% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 60% |
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 38% |
| Hispanic | 46% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 78% |
| Unknown | 60% |
| White | 56% |
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 MCLA 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 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts represent 55% of the students in the class of 2015, and 52.71% of MCLA bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 41%, first-time students in the MCLA class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the MCLA graduation rate was 55%, and by the eight year mark, 56% 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 | MCLA | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 41% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 55% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 56% | 47.82% |
138 first-time / full-time students or 44% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
107 transferred to another institution.
MCLA lost contact with the remaining 31 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 107 | 77.54% |
| Dropped Out | 31 | 22.46% |
First-time / part-time students at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts represent 0.70% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 25%, first-time, part-time students in the MCLA class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 50%.
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 | MCLA | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 25% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 23.72% |
2 first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
MCLA lost contact with the remaining 2 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 2 | 100.00% |
210 MCLA students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 36.71% 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 63%, 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 63%.
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 | MCLA | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 63% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 55.07% |
77 non first-time / part-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
53 transferred to another institution.
MCLA lost contact with the remaining 22 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 2.60% |
| Transferred | 53 | 68.83% |
| Dropped Out | 22 | 28.57% |
41 MCLA students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 7.17% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 56%, 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 61%.
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 | MCLA | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 56% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 37.80% |
16 non first-time / part-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
MCLA lost contact with the remaining 11 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 6.25% |
| Transferred | 4 | 25.00% |
| Dropped Out | 11 | 68.75% |
