by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Montco? 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.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 64% students making it past their freshmen year, Montco 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 Pennsylvania, the average is 73.24%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Montco | 64% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
There were approximately 1,019 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 23% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 14% of the students had graduated and after eight years 16% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of Montco is 14%. 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.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 754 | 10% |
| Six Years | 1,019 | 14% |
| Eight Years | 115 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 6,128 | 84% |
Approximately 6128 students or 84% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 6128 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
3094 transferred to another institution.
Montco lost contact with the remaining 2896 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 3094 | 50.5% |
| Dropped Out | 2,896 | 47.3% |
First-time, full-time students, under the age of 25 are known as traditional students. These students are more likely to graduate in four years than so called 'non-traditional' students that includes part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. Some schools cater to non-traditional students and it may affect their overall graduation rates.
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 Montco are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
How does this school do graduating the type of student you are most concerned bout?
First-time / full-time students at Montgomery County Community College represent 23% of the students in the class of 2015, and 45.14% of Montco bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 23%, first-time students in the Montco class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Montco graduation rate was 27%, and by the eight year mark, 29% 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 | Montco | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 23% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 27% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 47.82% |
1204 first-time / full-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
451 transferred to another institution.
Montco lost contact with the remaining 717 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 451 | 37.46% |
| Dropped Out | 717 | 59.55% |
First-time / part-time students at Montgomery County Community College represent 44.77% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 8%, first-time, part-time students in the Montco class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 10%.
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 | Montco | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 5% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 8% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 10% | 23.72% |
2918 first-time / part-time students or 90% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
66 are still enrolled.
1550 transferred to another institution.
Montco lost contact with the remaining 1302 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 66 | 2.26% |
| Transferred | 1550 | 53.12% |
| Dropped Out | 1,302 | 44.62% |
708 Montco students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 9.73% 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 20%, 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 21%.
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 | Montco | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 20% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 21% | 55.07% |
557 non first-time / part-time students or 79% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
264 transferred to another institution.
Montco lost contact with the remaining 288 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 0.90% |
| Transferred | 264 | 47.40% |
| Dropped Out | 288 | 51.71% |
1604 Montco students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 22.05% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 9%, 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 9%.
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 | Montco | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 9% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 9% | 37.80% |
1449 non first-time / part-time students or 91% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
31 are still enrolled.
829 transferred to another institution.
Montco lost contact with the remaining 589 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 31 | 2.14% |
| Transferred | 829 | 57.21% |
| Dropped Out | 589 | 40.65% |
