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Northwestern Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

46% 4-Year Graduation Rate
59% 6-Year Graduation Rate
83% Retention Rate

University of Northwestern - St Paul 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Make an informed decision about your education by understanding Northwestern 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.

Northwestern Retention Rate

83% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.

With 83% students making it past their freshmen year, Northwestern 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 Minnesota, the average is 67.05%.

Northwestern Retention  83 out of 100
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100%
Minnesota Retention  67 out of 100
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Retention Rate
Northwestern83%
Nationwide70.57%
Minnesota67.05%

Northwestern Graduation Rates

59% 6-Year Graduation Rate
23.57% Transfer Rate
14.65% Dropout Rate

There were approximately 443 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

46% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 59% in six years, and 61% in eight years.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official Northwestern graduation rate 59%.

The typical Northwestern student takes 4.19 years to complete their bachelor's degree.

Four Year Graduation Rate  46%
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100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  59%
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  61%
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100%

Northwestern Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years34846%
Six Years44359%
Eight Years152%
Did Not Complete29339%
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.
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Northwestern Drop Out Rate

Approximately 293 students or 39% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 293 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled31.0%
Transferred17760.4%
Dropped Out11037.5%

Northwestern Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
Asian54%
Black / African-American50%
Hispanic48%
International33%
Multi-Ethnic54%
White72%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

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 Northwestern 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 Northwestern Graduation Rates

62% First-Time, Full-Time
62% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at University of Northwestern - St Paul represent 62% of the students in the class of 2015, and 64.33% of Northwestern bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 46%, first-time students in the Northwestern class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the Northwestern graduation rate was 62%, and by the eight year mark, 64% 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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  46 out of 100
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Six Year Graduation Rate  62 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  64 out of 100
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100%

Northwestern First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsNorthwesternNationwide
Four Years46%37.92%
Six Years62%46.43%
Eight Years64%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time Northwestern Drop Out Rates

166 first-time / full-time students or 36% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled31.81%
Transferred12474.70%
Dropped Out4024.10%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

2% First-Time, Part-Time
38% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at University of Northwestern - St Paul represent 2.13% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 38%, first-time, part-time students in the Northwestern class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 38%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  38 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  38 out of 100
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First-Time / Part-Time Northwestern Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsNorthwesternNationwide
Four Years38%14.37%
Six Years38%21.59%
Eight Years38%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time Northwestern Drop Out Rates

10 first-time / part-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled110.00%
Transferred220.00%
Dropped Out770.00%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

24% Returning, Full-Time
61% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

180 Northwestern students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 23.97% 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 61%, 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 62%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  61 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  62 out of 100
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Northwestern Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsNorthwesternNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years61%53.83%
Eight Years62%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Northwestern Drop Out Rates

69 non first-time / part-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred3550.72%
Dropped Out3449.28%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

12% Returning, Part-Time
46% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

93 Northwestern students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 12.38% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 46%, 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 48%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  46 out of 100
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Eight Year Graduation Rate  48 out of 100
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Northwestern Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsNorthwesternNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years46%36.03%
Eight Years48%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Northwestern Drop Out Rates

48 non first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled36.25%
Transferred1633.33%
Dropped Out2960.42%

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