by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding NICC 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 freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 62% students making it past their freshmen year, NICC has freshmen retention rates below the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Iowa, the average is 68.94%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| NICC | 62% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Iowa | 68.94% |
How many of the estimated 467 students in the class of 2023 actually finished their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 40% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 43% of the students had graduated and after eight years 44% 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 NICC graduation rate 43%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 435 | 40% |
| Six Years | 467 | 43% |
| Eight Years | 10 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 617 | 56% |
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 617 students or 56% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 617 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
274 transferred to another institution.
NICC lost contact with the remaining 338 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 274 | 44.4% |
| Dropped Out | 338 | 54.8% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
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.
A meaningful share of students at NICC are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Northeast Iowa Community College represent 47.86% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the NICC graduation rate was 50%, and by the eight year mark, 52% 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 | NICC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 46% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 50% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 47.82% |
254 first-time / full-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
105 transferred to another institution.
NICC lost contact with the remaining 147 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.79% |
| Transferred | 105 | 41.34% |
| Dropped Out | 147 | 57.87% |
First-time / part-time students at Northeast Iowa Community College represent 17.56% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the NICC graduation rate was 18%, and by the eight year mark, 19% 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 | NICC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 16% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 18% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 19% | 23.72% |
154 first-time / part-time students or 81% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
46 transferred to another institution.
NICC lost contact with the remaining 106 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.30% |
| Transferred | 46 | 29.87% |
| Dropped Out | 106 | 68.83% |
Returning / full-time students at Northeast Iowa Community College represent 14.74% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the NICC graduation rate was 49%, and by the eight year mark, 50% 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 | NICC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 49% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 55.07% |
81 non first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
43 transferred to another institution.
NICC lost contact with the remaining 38 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 43 | 53.09% |
| Dropped Out | 38 | 46.91% |
Returning / part-time students at Northeast Iowa Community College represent 19.84% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the NICC graduation rate was 41%, and by the eight year mark, 41% 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 | NICC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 40% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 41% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 41% | 37.80% |
128 non first-time / part-time students or 59% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
80 transferred to another institution.
NICC lost contact with the remaining 47 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.78% |
| Transferred | 80 | 62.50% |
| Dropped Out | 47 | 36.72% |
