by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Mercer 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 87% students making it past their freshmen year, Mercer 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 Georgia, the average is 65.40%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Mercer | 87% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Georgia | 65.40% |
Of the 872 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 47% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 59% of the students had graduated and after eight years 61% 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 Mercer graduation rate 59%.
The average length of time it takes an Mercer undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.25 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 701 | 47% |
| Six Years | 872 | 59% |
| Eight Years | 23 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 583 | 39% |
Approximately 583 students or 39% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 583 students who did not complete their degree?
2 are still enrolled.
360 transferred to another institution.
Mercer lost contact with the remaining 207 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.3% |
| Transferred | 360 | 61.7% |
| Dropped Out | 207 | 35.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 70% |
| Black / African-American | 74% |
| Hawaiian | 50% |
| Hispanic | 67% |
| International | 74% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 61% |
| Unknown | 74% |
| White | 74% |
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 Mercer 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 Mercer University represent 38% of the students in the class of 2015, and 41.40% of Mercer bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 47%, first-time students in the Mercer class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Mercer graduation rate was 64%, and by the eight year mark, 65% 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 | Mercer | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 47% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 64% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 65% | 47.82% |
201 first-time / full-time students or 35% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
169 transferred to another institution.
Mercer lost contact with the remaining 28 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.00% |
| Transferred | 169 | 84.08% |
| Dropped Out | 28 | 13.93% |
First-time / part-time students at Mercer University represent 4.18% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 21%, first-time, part-time students in the Mercer class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 24%.
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 | Mercer | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 21% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 24% | 23.72% |
47 first-time / part-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
Mercer lost contact with the remaining 27 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 8.51% |
| Transferred | 16 | 34.04% |
| Dropped Out | 27 | 57.45% |
599 Mercer students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 40.36% 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 66%, 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 67%.
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 | Mercer | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 66% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 55.07% |
195 non first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
103 transferred to another institution.
Mercer lost contact with the remaining 88 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 2.05% |
| Transferred | 103 | 52.82% |
| Dropped Out | 88 | 45.13% |
253 Mercer students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 17.05% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 41%, 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 44%.
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 | Mercer | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 41% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 44% | 37.80% |
140 non first-time / part-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
72 transferred to another institution.
Mercer lost contact with the remaining 64 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 2.86% |
| Transferred | 72 | 51.43% |
| Dropped Out | 64 | 45.71% |
