by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Olivet Nazarene 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 percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 71% students making it past their freshmen year, Olivet Nazarene 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 Illinois, the average is 72.64%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Olivet Nazarene | 71% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Illinois | 72.64% |
There were approximately 685 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 57% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 65% of the students had graduated and after eight years 65% 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 Olivet Nazarene graduation rate 65%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 607 | 57% |
| Six Years | 685 | 65% |
| Eight Years | 5 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 372 | 35% |
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 372 students or 35% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 372 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
254 transferred to another institution.
Olivet Nazarene lost contact with the remaining 115 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.3% |
| Transferred | 254 | 68.3% |
| Dropped Out | 115 | 30.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 67% |
| Black / African-American | 33% |
| Hispanic | 38% |
| International | 25% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 71% |
| White | 67% |
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 Olivet Nazarene are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Olivet Nazarene University represent 66.32% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Olivet Nazarene graduation rate was 67%, and by the eight year mark, 67% 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 | Olivet Nazarene | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 57% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 67% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 47.82% |
232 first-time / full-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
188 transferred to another institution.
Olivet Nazarene lost contact with the remaining 43 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.43% |
| Transferred | 188 | 81.03% |
| Dropped Out | 43 | 18.53% |
We don’t have data for this cohort at Olivet Nazarene University.
Returning / full-time students at Olivet Nazarene University represent 26.34% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Olivet Nazarene graduation rate was 66%, and by the eight year mark, 67% 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 | Olivet Nazarene | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 66% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 55.07% |
93 non first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
50 transferred to another institution.
Olivet Nazarene lost contact with the remaining 43 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 50 | 53.76% |
| Dropped Out | 43 | 46.24% |
Returning / part-time students at Olivet Nazarene University represent 7.34% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Olivet Nazarene graduation rate was 40%, and by the eight year mark, 40% 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 | Olivet Nazarene | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 36% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 40% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 37.80% |
47 non first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
Olivet Nazarene lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 4.26% |
| Transferred | 16 | 34.04% |
| Dropped Out | 29 | 61.70% |
