Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how Murray State's retention and graduation rates impact you. First year retention rates let you know how many students come back for their sophomore year. Graduation rates tell you how long it takes to complete a degree at Murray State . Remember, every extra semester it takes to graduate will increase the cost of your degree.
On This Page You'll Find:
- What These Rates Have To Do With You
- First to Second Year Retention Rate at Murray State
- Graduation Rates at Murray State University
Murray State Has a Better Than Average Freshman Retention Rate
With 79.0% of students making it past their freshman year, Murray State University has freshman retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 69.0% . When looking at just colleges and universities in Kentucky , the average is 66.0% .
Murray State Freshmen Retention Rate Rankings
Any Questions?
- When you attend a school that is high quality and a good fit for you, it is more likely you'll return for another year. Read more about why retention is so important.
- How many students make it past freshman year? You might be surprised at the answer.
Overall, 52.0% of Murray State Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Murray State , there were 2,654 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2015 . By 2017 , six years after beginning their degree, 52.0% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 53.3% of this class eventually completed their degree.
We consider the "on-time" graduation rate for a bachelor's degree to be four years, but colleges typically report their graduation rates after six or even eight years.
This implies that 46.7% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 1,241 students, 5 were still working towards their degree, 678 had transferred to a different institution, and Murray State lost contact with the remaining 557 whom we assume dropped out.
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 (on-time). Some schools cater mostly to traditional students while others cater to “non-traditional” students who may be attending part time and thus are likely to take longer to graduate.
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 Murray State Represent 59.9% of the Class of 2015 and 56.2% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 28.0% , first-time students in the Murray State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After six years, the graduation rate was 48.3% and by 2019 ,50.0% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 35.8% after four years, 46.4% after six years, and 47.8% after eight years.
Murray State is Graduating Students Slower Than we Expected
Studies have shown that high-achieving students are more likely to complete their degree on time. Given the academic preparedness of the first-time / full-time students accepted to Murray State , we expected that after six years about 60.9% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Murray State
50.0% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 795 students, 2 were still working towards their degree, 441 had transferred to a different institution, and Murray State lost contact with the remaining 352 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Murray State Represent 2.4% of the Class of 2015 and 1.2% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 26.2% , first-time students in the Murray State class of 2015 who attended classes part-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 26.2% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 21.6% after six years and 23.7% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at Murray State
73.8% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 48 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 23 had transferred to a different institution, and Murray State lost contact with the remaining 25 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Murray State Represent 27.5% of the Class of 2015 and 32.5% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 62.6% , returning students in the Murray State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 63.0% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 53.8% after six years and 55.1% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at Murray State
37.0% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 270 students, 2 were still working towards their degree, 151 had transferred to a different institution, and Murray State lost contact with the remaining 117 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Murray State Represent 10.2% of the Class of 2015 and 10.2% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 51.7% , returning students in the Murray State class of 2015 who attended classes part-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 53.1% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.0% after six years and 37.8% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at Murray State
46.9% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 127 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 63 had transferred to a different institution, and Murray State lost contact with the remaining 63 whom we assume dropped out.
