by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many NWU first-year students return for their second year, and how many go on to graduate? Retention and graduation rates help you understand how students progress at NWU. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 75% students making it past their freshmen year, NWU 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 Nebraska, the average is 73.00%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| NWU | 75% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Nebraska | 73.00% |
Of the 369 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 54% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 61% of the students had graduated and after eight years 62% of this class completed their degree.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical NWU graduation rate 61%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 324 | 54% |
| Six Years | 369 | 61% |
| Eight Years | 5 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 229 | 38% |
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.
Approximately 229 students or 38% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 229 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
161 transferred to another institution.
NWU lost contact with the remaining 68 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 161 | 70.3% |
| Dropped Out | 68 | 29.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 86% |
| Black / African-American | 62% |
| Hispanic | 61% |
| International | 67% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 56% |
| Unknown | 82% |
| White | 69% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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 NWU 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 students at Nebraska Wesleyan University represent 69.98% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the NWU graduation rate was 59%, and by the eight year mark, 60% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | NWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 51% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 59% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 60% | 47.82% |
169 first-time / full-time students or 40% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
131 transferred to another institution.
NWU lost contact with the remaining 38 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 131 | 77.51% |
| Dropped Out | 38 | 22.49% |
We don’t have data for this cohort at Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Returning / full-time students at Nebraska Wesleyan University represent 19.40% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the NWU graduation rate was 71%, and by the eight year mark, 72% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Completions | NWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 71% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 72% | 55.07% |
33 non first-time / part-time students or 28% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
20 transferred to another institution.
NWU lost contact with the remaining 13 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 20 | 60.61% |
| Dropped Out | 13 | 39.39% |
Returning / part-time students at Nebraska Wesleyan University represent 10.61% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the NWU graduation rate was 58%, and by the eight year mark, 58% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 30.46% after four years, 36.03% after six years, and 37.80% after eight years.
| Completions | NWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 55% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 58% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 37.80% |
27 non first-time / part-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
10 transferred to another institution.
NWU lost contact with the remaining 17 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 10 | 37.04% |
| Dropped Out | 17 | 62.96% |
