by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at McDowell Technical Community College? 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 48% students making it past their freshmen year, McDowell Technical Community College 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 North Carolina, the average is 66.53%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| McDowell Technical Community College | 48% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| North Carolina | 66.53% |
Of the 104 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
After four years 21% of the cohort graduated. After six years 24% had completed their degree, and 25% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of McDowell Technical Community College is 24%. 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.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 95 | 22% |
| Six Years | 104 | 24% |
| Eight Years | 4 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 319 | 75% |
Approximately 319 students or 75% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 319 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
60 transferred to another institution.
McDowell Technical Community College lost contact with the remaining 253 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 60 | 18.8% |
| Dropped Out | 253 | 79.3% |
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 McDowell Technical Community College 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 McDowell Technical Community College represent 39% of the students in the class of 2015, and 34.62% of McDowell Technical Community College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 21%, first-time students in the McDowell Technical Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the McDowell Technical Community College graduation rate was 22%, and by the eight year mark, 22% 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 | McDowell Technical Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 21% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 22% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 47.82% |
128 first-time / full-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
21 transferred to another institution.
McDowell Technical Community College lost contact with the remaining 106 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 21 | 16.41% |
| Dropped Out | 106 | 82.81% |
First-time / part-time students at McDowell Technical Community College represent 32.08% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 20%, first-time, part-time students in the McDowell Technical Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 23%.
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 | McDowell Technical Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 16% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 20% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 23% | 23.72% |
106 first-time / part-time students or 77% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
19 transferred to another institution.
McDowell Technical Community College lost contact with the remaining 83 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 3.77% |
| Transferred | 19 | 17.92% |
| Dropped Out | 83 | 78.30% |
27 McDowell Technical Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 6.32% 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 | McDowell Technical Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 63% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 55.07% |
10 non first-time / part-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
McDowell Technical Community College 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 | 4 | 40.00% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 60.00% |
98 McDowell Technical Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 22.95% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 23%, 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 23%.
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 | McDowell Technical Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 23% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 23% | 37.80% |
75 non first-time / part-time students or 77% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
McDowell Technical Community College lost contact with the remaining 58 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.33% |
| Transferred | 16 | 21.33% |
| Dropped Out | 58 | 77.33% |
