by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding NSU 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 77% students making it past their freshmen year, NSU 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 South Dakota, the average is 75.05%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| NSU | 77% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Dakota | 75.05% |
There were approximately 264 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 39% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 50% of the students had graduated and after eight years 52% 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 NSU graduation rate 50%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 202 | 39% |
| Six Years | 264 | 50% |
| Eight Years | 9 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 251 | 48% |
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 251 students or 48% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 251 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
96 transferred to another institution.
NSU lost contact with the remaining 154 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.4% |
| Transferred | 96 | 38.2% |
| Dropped Out | 154 | 61.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 22% |
| Asian | 75% |
| Black / African-American | 25% |
| Hispanic | 38% |
| International | 44% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 18% |
| White | 56% |
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.
The majority of students at NSU are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Northern State University represent 61.98% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the NSU 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 | NSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 33% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 50% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 47.82% |
156 first-time / full-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
83 transferred to another institution.
NSU lost contact with the remaining 72 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.64% |
| Transferred | 83 | 53.21% |
| Dropped Out | 72 | 46.15% |
First-time / part-time students at Northern State University represent 3.42% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the NSU graduation rate was 22%, and by the eight year mark, 22% 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 | NSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 22% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 22% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 23.72% |
14 first-time / part-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
5 transferred to another institution.
NSU lost contact with the remaining 9 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 5 | 35.71% |
| Dropped Out | 9 | 64.29% |
Returning / full-time students at Northern State University represent 25.48% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the NSU graduation rate was 58%, and by the eight year mark, 60% 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 | NSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 58% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 60% | 55.07% |
54 non first-time / part-time students or 40% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
5 transferred to another institution.
NSU lost contact with the remaining 49 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 5 | 9.26% |
| Dropped Out | 49 | 90.74% |
Returning / part-time students at Northern State University represent 9.13% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the NSU graduation rate was 40%, and by the eight year mark, 43% 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 | NSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 32% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 40% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 37.80% |
27 non first-time / part-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
NSU lost contact with the remaining 24 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 11.11% |
| Dropped Out | 24 | 88.89% |
