by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding North Dakota State College of Science 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.
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, North Dakota State College of Science 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 North Dakota, the average is 67.00%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| North Dakota State College of Science | 79% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| North Dakota | 67.00% |
Of the 492 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 42% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 43% of the students had graduated and after eight years 43% 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 North Dakota State College of Science graduation rate 43%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 484 | 42% |
| Six Years | 492 | 43% |
| Eight Years | 4 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 646 | 57% |
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 646 students or 57% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 646 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
309 transferred to another institution.
North Dakota State College of Science lost contact with the remaining 335 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 309 | 47.8% |
| Dropped Out | 335 | 51.9% |
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 North Dakota State College of Science 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 North Dakota State College of Science represent 63.22% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the North Dakota State College of Science graduation rate was 48%, and by the eight year mark, 48% 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 | North Dakota State College of Science | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 47% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 48% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 47.82% |
374 first-time / full-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
153 transferred to another institution.
North Dakota State College of Science lost contact with the remaining 220 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.27% |
| Transferred | 153 | 40.91% |
| Dropped Out | 220 | 58.82% |
First-time / part-time students at North Dakota State College of Science represent 8.14% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the North Dakota State College of Science graduation rate was 16%, and by the eight year mark, 16% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | North Dakota State College of Science | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 12% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 16% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 16% | 23.72% |
78 first-time / part-time students or 84% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
48 transferred to another institution.
North Dakota State College of Science lost contact with the remaining 30 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 48 | 61.54% |
| Dropped Out | 30 | 38.46% |
Returning / full-time students at North Dakota State College of Science represent 22.42% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the North Dakota State College of Science graduation rate was 43%, and by the eight year mark, 43% 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 | North Dakota State College of Science | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 43% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 55.07% |
145 non first-time / part-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
82 transferred to another institution.
North Dakota State College of Science lost contact with the remaining 62 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.69% |
| Transferred | 82 | 56.55% |
| Dropped Out | 62 | 42.76% |
Returning / part-time students at North Dakota State College of Science represent 6.22% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the North Dakota State College of Science graduation rate was 31%, and by the eight year mark, 31% 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 | North Dakota State College of Science | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 31% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 31% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 31% | 37.80% |
49 non first-time / part-time students or 69% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
26 transferred to another institution.
North Dakota State College of Science lost contact with the remaining 23 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 26 | 53.06% |
| Dropped Out | 23 | 46.94% |
