by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Nichols retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 72% students making it past their freshmen year, Nichols 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Nichols | 72% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
There were approximately 250 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 54% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 60% of the students had graduated and after eight years 60% 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 Nichols graduation rate 60%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 227 | 54% |
| Six Years | 250 | 60% |
| Eight Years | 3 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 166 | 40% |
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 166 students or 40% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 166 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
31 transferred to another institution.
Nichols lost contact with the remaining 132 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 1.8% |
| Transferred | 31 | 18.7% |
| Dropped Out | 132 | 79.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 44% |
| Black / African-American | 39% |
| Hispanic | 43% |
| International | 100% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 56% |
| White | 70% |
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 Nichols are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Nichols College represent 84.96% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Nichols 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 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | Nichols | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 52% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 58% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 47.82% |
148 first-time / full-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
30 transferred to another institution.
Nichols lost contact with the remaining 115 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 2.03% |
| Transferred | 30 | 20.27% |
| Dropped Out | 115 | 77.70% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data for this cohort at Nichols College.
Returning / full-time students at Nichols College represent 10.74% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Nichols graduation rate was 76%, and by the eight year mark, 76% 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 | Nichols | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 76% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 76% | 55.07% |
11 non first-time / part-time students or 24% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Nichols lost contact with the remaining 10 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 9.09% |
| Dropped Out | 10 | 90.91% |
Returning / part-time students at Nichols College represent 4.30% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Nichols graduation rate was 61%, and by the eight year mark, 61% 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 | Nichols | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 61% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 61% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 37.80% |
7 non first-time / part-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Nichols lost contact with the remaining 7 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 7 | 100.00% |
