by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to NWOSU after their first year? Are NWOSU students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 62% students making it past their freshmen year, NWOSU has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Oklahoma, the average is 65.20%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| NWOSU | 62% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Oklahoma | 65.20% |
Of the 251 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 15% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 29% of the students had graduated and after eight years 31% of this class completed their degree.
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 NWOSU graduation rate 29%.
The average NWOSU student takes 4.55 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 174 | 20% |
| Six Years | 251 | 29% |
| Eight Years | 17 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 587 | 69% |
Approximately 587 students or 69% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 587 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
227 transferred to another institution.
NWOSU lost contact with the remaining 349 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.2% |
| Transferred | 227 | 38.7% |
| Dropped Out | 349 | 59.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 12% |
| Black / African-American | 21% |
| Hispanic | 24% |
| International | 17% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 20% |
| Unknown | 20% |
| White | 32% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
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 NWOSU are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-time / full-time students at Northwestern Oklahoma State University represent 51% of the students in the class of 2015, and 47.01% of NWOSU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 15%, first-time students in the NWOSU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the NWOSU graduation rate was 27%, and by the eight year mark, 29% 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 | NWOSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 15% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 27% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 47.82% |
308 first-time / full-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
108 transferred to another institution.
NWOSU lost contact with the remaining 194 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.32% |
| Transferred | 108 | 35.06% |
| Dropped Out | 194 | 62.99% |
First-time / part-time students at Northwestern Oklahoma State University represent 7.13% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 5%, first-time, part-time students in the NWOSU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 8%.
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 | NWOSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 5% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 8% | 23.72% |
56 first-time / part-time students or 92% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
NWOSU lost contact with the remaining 39 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.79% |
| Transferred | 16 | 28.57% |
| Dropped Out | 39 | 69.64% |
212 NWOSU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 24.80% 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 42%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 44%.
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 | NWOSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 42% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 44% | 55.07% |
119 non first-time / part-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
43 transferred to another institution.
NWOSU lost contact with the remaining 74 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.68% |
| Transferred | 43 | 36.13% |
| Dropped Out | 74 | 62.18% |
146 NWOSU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 17.08% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 27%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 29%.
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 | NWOSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 27% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 37.80% |
104 non first-time / part-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
60 transferred to another institution.
NWOSU lost contact with the remaining 42 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.92% |
| Transferred | 60 | 57.69% |
| Dropped Out | 42 | 40.38% |
