MCC Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

Meridian Community College 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Make an informed decision about your education by understanding MCC 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.

• MCC Retention Rate
• MCC 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
• MCC Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

MCC Retention Rate

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

With 53% students making it past their freshmen year, MCC 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 Mississippi, the average is 70.78%.

MCC Graduation Rates

There were approximately 685 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

28% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 30% in six years, and 32% in eight years.

The official graduation rate of MCC is 30%. 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.

MCC Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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MCC Drop Out Rate

Approximately 1554 students or 68% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 1554 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 468 transferred to another institution.

• MCC lost contact with the remaining 1039 who we assumed dropped out.

MCC 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 MCC 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 MCC Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at Meridian Community College represent 56% of the students in the class of 2015, and 58.83% of MCC bachelor's degree graduations.

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

After six years, the MCC graduation rate was 32%, and by the eight year mark, 33% 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.

MCC First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

First-Time / Full-Time MCC Drop Out Rates

850 first-time / full-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 218 transferred to another institution.

• MCC lost contact with the remaining 611 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

First-time / part-time students at Meridian Community College represent 16.31% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 15%, first-time, part-time students in the MCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 18%.

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 MCC Graduation Rates vs. National Average

First-Time / Part-Time MCC Drop Out Rates

304 first-time / part-time students or 82% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 11 are still enrolled.

• 83 transferred to another institution.

• MCC lost contact with the remaining 210 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

331 MCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.47% 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 44%, 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 46%.

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.

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

Non First-Time / Full-Time MCC Drop Out Rates

180 non first-time / part-time students or 54% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 6 are still enrolled.

• 56 transferred to another institution.

• MCC lost contact with the remaining 118 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

307 MCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 13.42% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 26%, 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 28%.

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.

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

Non First-Time / Part-Time MCC Drop Out Rates

220 non first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 9 are still enrolled.

• 111 transferred to another institution.

• MCC lost contact with the remaining 100 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