McPherson College Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

McPherson College 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How long does it take to earn a degree at McPherson 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.

• McPherson College Retention Rate
• McPherson College Graduation Rate
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
• McPherson College Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

McPherson College Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.

With 66% students making it past their freshmen year, McPherson 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 Kansas, the average is 65.77%.

McPherson College Graduation Rates

There were approximately 109 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

Four years after beginning their degree, 28% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 44% of the students had graduated and after eight years 44% 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 McPherson College graduation rate 44%.

The typical McPherson College student takes 4.16 years to complete their bachelor's degree.

McPherson College Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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McPherson College Drop Out Rate

Approximately 140 students or 56% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 140 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 35 transferred to another institution.

• McPherson College lost contact with the remaining 105 who we assumed dropped out.

McPherson College Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.

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 McPherson College are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.

Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.

First-Time / Full-Time McPherson College Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at McPherson College represent 54% of the students in the class of 2015, and 44.04% of McPherson College bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 28%, first-time students in the McPherson College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the McPherson College graduation rate was 36%, 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.

McPherson College First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

First-Time / Full-Time McPherson College Drop Out Rates

86 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.

• 26 transferred to another institution.

• McPherson College lost contact with the remaining 60 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

First-time / part-time students at McPherson College represent 1.19% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 50%, first-time, part-time students in the McPherson College 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 McPherson College Graduation Rates vs. National Average

First-Time / Part-Time McPherson College Drop Out Rates

1 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.

• McPherson College lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

105 McPherson College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 41.67% 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 50%, 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 51%.

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.

McPherson College Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

Non First-Time / Full-Time McPherson College Drop Out Rates

51 non first-time / part-time students or 49% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 8 transferred to another institution.

• McPherson College lost contact with the remaining 43 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

9 McPherson College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 3.57% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 78%, 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 78%.

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.

McPherson College Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

Non First-Time / Part-Time McPherson College Drop Out Rates

2 non first-time / part-time students or 22% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 1 transferred to another institution.

• McPherson College lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.

More Resources:

• An Explanation of Freshman Retention Rates.

• How Common is it to Transfer to a Different College?

• Are Non-Traditional Students Less Likely to Graduate?

• How Many People Drop-Out of College?

• How Average Time to Graduate Can Affect the Value of Your Degree.

References

• National Center for Education Statistics

• Image Credit: By Lukeorama under License