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Mississippi State Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

30% 4-Year Graduation Rate
58% 6-Year Graduation Rate
85% Retention Rate

Mississippi State University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How long does it take to earn a degree at Mississippi State? 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.

Mississippi State Retention Rate

85% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

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

With 85% students making it past their freshmen year, Mississippi State 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 Mississippi, the average is 70.78%.

Mississippi State Retention  85 out of 100
0%
100%
Mississippi Retention  71 out of 100
0%
100%
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Retention Rate
Mississippi State85%
Nationwide70.57%
Mississippi70.78%

Mississippi State Graduation Rates

58% 6-Year Graduation Rate
5.76% Transfer Rate
34.34% Dropout Rate

There were approximately 3,047 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

30% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 58% in six years, and 59% in eight years.

The official graduation rate of Mississippi State is 58%. 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.

The average length of time it takes an Mississippi State undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.50 years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  40%
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  58%
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  59%
0%
100%

Mississippi State Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years2,10040%
Six Years3,04758%
Eight Years771%
Did Not Complete2,15641%
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
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Mississippi State Drop Out Rate

Approximately 2156 students or 41% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 2156 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled241.1%
Transferred30514.1%
Dropped Out1,81884.3%

Mississippi State Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native33%
Asian64%
Black / African-American42%
Hawaiian67%
Hispanic58%
International67%
Multi-Ethnic51%
Unknown60%
White72%

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 Mississippi State 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 Mississippi State Graduation Rates

55% First-Time, Full-Time
57% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at Mississippi State University represent 55% of the students in the class of 2015, and 55.14% of Mississippi State bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 30%, first-time students in the Mississippi State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the Mississippi State graduation rate was 57%, and by the eight year mark, 59% 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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  30 out of 100
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  57 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  59 out of 100
0%
100%

Mississippi State First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsMississippi StateNationwide
Four Years30%37.92%
Six Years57%46.43%
Eight Years59%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time Mississippi State Drop Out Rates

1186 first-time / full-time students or 41% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled242.02%
Transferred15212.82%
Dropped Out1,01385.41%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

0% First-Time, Part-Time
35% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at Mississippi State University represent 0.32% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 35%, first-time, part-time students in the Mississippi State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 41%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  35 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  41 out of 100
0%
100%

First-Time / Part-Time Mississippi State Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsMississippi StateNationwide
Four Years6%14.37%
Six Years35%21.59%
Eight Years41%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time Mississippi State Drop Out Rates

10 first-time / part-time students or 59% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred00.00%
Dropped Out10100.00%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

37% Returning, Full-Time
62% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

1981 Mississippi State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 37.42% 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 62%, 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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  62 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  63 out of 100
0%
100%

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

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsMississippi StateNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years62%53.83%
Eight Years63%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Mississippi State Drop Out Rates

728 non first-time / part-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled111.51%
Transferred10614.56%
Dropped Out61183.93%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

7% Returning, Part-Time
35% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

368 Mississippi State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 6.95% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 35%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 37%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  35 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  37 out of 100
0%
100%

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

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsMississippi StateNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years35%36.03%
Eight Years37%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Mississippi State Drop Out Rates

232 non first-time / part-time students or 63% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled10.43%
Transferred4720.26%
Dropped Out18479.31%

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