by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Missouri State after their first year? Are Missouri State students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 79% students making it past their freshmen year, Missouri 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 Missouri, the average is 69.43%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Missouri State | 79% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Missouri | 69.43% |
Of the 2,425 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 31% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 55% of the students had graduated and after eight years 57% 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 Missouri State graduation rate 55%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Missouri State? The standard length of time for most students is 4.50 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,708 | 39% |
| Six Years | 2,425 | 55% |
| Eight Years | 95 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,906 | 43% |
Approximately 1906 students or 43% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1906 students who did not complete their degree?
132 are still enrolled.
184 transferred to another institution.
Missouri State lost contact with the remaining 1657 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 132 | 6.9% |
| Transferred | 184 | 9.7% |
| Dropped Out | 1,657 | 86.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 31% |
| Asian | 68% |
| Black / African-American | 38% |
| Hawaiian | 33% |
| Hispanic | 56% |
| International | 67% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 43% |
| Unknown | 11% |
| White | 60% |
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 Missouri State 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 Missouri State University - Springfield represent 60% of the students in the class of 2015, and 59.05% of Missouri State bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 31%, first-time students in the Missouri State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Missouri State graduation rate was 54%, and by the eight year mark, 57% 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 | Missouri State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 31% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 54% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 57% | 47.82% |
1149 first-time / full-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
132 are still enrolled.
130 transferred to another institution.
Missouri State lost contact with the remaining 976 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 132 | 11.49% |
| Transferred | 130 | 11.31% |
| Dropped Out | 976 | 84.94% |
First-time / part-time students at Missouri State University - Springfield represent 0.99% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 18%, first-time, part-time students in the Missouri State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 20%.
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 | Missouri State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 18% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 20% | 23.72% |
35 first-time / part-time students or 80% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
Missouri State lost contact with the remaining 32 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.86% |
| Transferred | 2 | 5.71% |
| Dropped Out | 32 | 91.43% |
1500 Missouri State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 33.81% 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 60%, 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 62%.
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 | Missouri State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 60% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 55.07% |
573 non first-time / part-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
20 are still enrolled.
44 transferred to another institution.
Missouri State lost contact with the remaining 509 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 20 | 3.49% |
| Transferred | 44 | 7.68% |
| Dropped Out | 509 | 88.83% |
242 Missouri State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.46% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 34%, 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 38%.
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 | Missouri State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 34% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 37.80% |
149 non first-time / part-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
8 transferred to another institution.
Missouri State lost contact with the remaining 140 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.67% |
| Transferred | 8 | 5.37% |
| Dropped Out | 140 | 93.96% |
