by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many OCC first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore OCC retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 53% students making it past their freshmen year, OCC 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 New York, the average is 73.51%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| OCC | 53% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
Of the 1,019 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 23% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 24% of the students had graduated and after eight years 25% 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 OCC graduation rate 24%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 901 | 21% |
| Six Years | 1,019 | 24% |
| Eight Years | 41 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 3,205 | 75% |
Approximately 3205 students or 75% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 3205 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
1350 transferred to another institution.
OCC lost contact with the remaining 1809 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 1350 | 42.1% |
| Dropped Out | 1,809 | 56.4% |
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 OCC 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 Onondaga Community College represent 68% of the students in the class of 2015, and 71.93% of OCC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 23%, first-time students in the OCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the OCC graduation rate was 25%, and by the eight year mark, 26% 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 | OCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 23% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 25% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 26% | 47.82% |
2133 first-time / full-time students or 74% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
859 transferred to another institution.
OCC lost contact with the remaining 1245 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 859 | 40.27% |
| Dropped Out | 1,245 | 58.37% |
First-time / part-time students at Onondaga Community College represent 8.44% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 14%, first-time, part-time students in the OCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 16%.
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 | OCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 14% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 16% | 23.72% |
302 first-time / part-time students or 84% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
9 are still enrolled.
84 transferred to another institution.
OCC lost contact with the remaining 209 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 2.98% |
| Transferred | 84 | 27.81% |
| Dropped Out | 209 | 69.21% |
755 OCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 17.70% 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 24%, 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 25%.
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 | OCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 24% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 55.07% |
570 non first-time / part-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
314 transferred to another institution.
OCC lost contact with the remaining 250 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 1.05% |
| Transferred | 314 | 55.09% |
| Dropped Out | 250 | 43.86% |
255 OCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.98% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 20%, 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 22%.
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 | OCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 20% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 37.80% |
200 non first-time / part-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
93 transferred to another institution.
OCC lost contact with the remaining 105 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.00% |
| Transferred | 93 | 46.50% |
| Dropped Out | 105 | 52.50% |
