by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Northwest Iowa Community College? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 78% students making it past their freshmen year, Northwest Iowa Community College 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 Iowa, the average is 68.94%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Northwest Iowa Community College | 78% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Iowa | 68.94% |
Of the 370 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 60% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 61% of the students had graduated and after eight years 61% 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 Northwest Iowa Community College graduation rate 61%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 364 | 60% |
| Six Years | 370 | 61% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 238 | 39% |
Approximately 238 students or 39% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 238 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
92 transferred to another institution.
Northwest Iowa Community College lost contact with the remaining 143 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 92 | 38.7% |
| Dropped Out | 143 | 60.1% |
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 Northwest Iowa Community College 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 Northwest Iowa Community College represent 45% of the students in the class of 2015, and 44.86% of Northwest Iowa Community College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 60%, first-time students in the Northwest Iowa Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Northwest Iowa Community College graduation rate was 61%, and by the eight year mark, 61% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | Northwest Iowa Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 60% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 61% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 47.82% |
107 first-time / full-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
37 transferred to another institution.
Northwest Iowa Community College lost contact with the remaining 68 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 37 | 34.58% |
| Dropped Out | 68 | 63.55% |
First-time / part-time students at Northwest Iowa Community College represent 8.36% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 27%, first-time, part-time students in the Northwest Iowa Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 29%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | Northwest Iowa Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 25% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 27% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 23.72% |
36 first-time / part-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
10 transferred to another institution.
Northwest Iowa Community College lost contact with the remaining 26 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 10 | 27.78% |
| Dropped Out | 26 | 72.22% |
193 Northwest Iowa Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 31.64% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 70%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 70%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | Northwest Iowa Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 70% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 70% | 55.07% |
57 non first-time / part-time students or 30% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
26 transferred to another institution.
Northwest Iowa Community College lost contact with the remaining 30 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.75% |
| Transferred | 26 | 45.61% |
| Dropped Out | 30 | 52.63% |
93 Northwest Iowa Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.25% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 59%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 59%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | Northwest Iowa Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 59% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 59% | 37.80% |
38 non first-time / part-time students or 41% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
19 transferred to another institution.
Northwest Iowa Community College lost contact with the remaining 19 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 19 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 19 | 50.00% |
