by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Pennsylvania College of Art and Design first-year students return for their second year, and how many go on to graduate? Retention and graduation rates help you understand how students progress at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 85% students making it past their freshmen year, Pennsylvania College of Art and Design 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 Pennsylvania, the average is 73.24%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania College of Art and Design | 85% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
There were approximately 56 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, 59% of the students had graduated and after eight years 60% 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 Pennsylvania College of Art and Design graduation rate 59%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 54 | 57% |
| Six Years | 56 | 59% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 38 | 40% |
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 38 students or 40% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 38 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design lost contact with the remaining 22 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 16 | 42.1% |
| Dropped Out | 22 | 57.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 100% |
| Black / African-American | 100% |
| Hispanic | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 67% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 60% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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 Pennsylvania College of Art and Design 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 Pennsylvania College of Art and Design represent 81.25% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design graduation rate was 58%, and by the eight year mark, 58% 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 | Pennsylvania College of Art and Design | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 58% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 58% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 47.82% |
33 first-time / full-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
15 transferred to another institution.
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design lost contact with the remaining 18 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 15 | 45.45% |
| Dropped Out | 18 | 54.55% |
First-time / part-time students at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design represent 2.08% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design graduation rate was 50%, and by the eight year mark, 50% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | Pennsylvania College of Art and Design | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 50% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 23.72% |
1 first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 100.00% |
Returning / full-time students at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design represent 16.67% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design graduation rate was 67%, and by the eight year mark, 73% 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 | Pennsylvania College of Art and Design | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 67% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 73% | 55.07% |
4 non first-time / part-time students or 27% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 25.00% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 75.00% |
We don’t have data for this cohort at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.
