by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Penn College 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 freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 81% students making it past their freshmen year, Penn College 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 | |
|---|---|
| Penn College | 81% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
Of the 1094 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 49% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 57% of the students had graduated and after eight years 58% 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 Penn College graduation rate 57%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 937 | 49% |
| Six Years | 1094 | 57% |
| Eight Years | 15 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 796 | 42% |
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 796 students or 42% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 796 students who did not complete their degree?
9 are still enrolled.
179 transferred to another institution.
Penn College lost contact with the remaining 604 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 1.1% |
| Transferred | 179 | 22.5% |
| Dropped Out | 604 | 75.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 33% |
| Black / African-American | 14% |
| Hispanic | 37% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 35% |
| Unknown | 25% |
| White | 53% |
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 Penn College are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Pennsylvania College of Technology represent 68.39% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Penn College graduation rate was 57%, and by the eight year mark, 57% 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 | Penn College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 48% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 57% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 57% | 47.82% |
558 first-time / full-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
8 are still enrolled.
133 transferred to another institution.
Penn College lost contact with the remaining 417 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 1.43% |
| Transferred | 133 | 23.84% |
| Dropped Out | 417 | 74.73% |
First-time / part-time students at Pennsylvania College of Technology represent 1.99% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Penn College graduation rate was 24%, and by the eight year mark, 24% 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 | Penn College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 14% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 24% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 24% | 23.72% |
28 first-time / part-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Penn College lost contact with the remaining 28 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 28 | 100.00% |
Returning / full-time students at Pennsylvania College of Technology represent 22.34% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Penn College 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 | Penn College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 66% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 55.07% |
140 non first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
33 transferred to another institution.
Penn College lost contact with the remaining 103 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 2.86% |
| Transferred | 33 | 23.57% |
| Dropped Out | 103 | 73.57% |
Returning / part-time students at Pennsylvania College of Technology represent 7.27% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Penn College graduation rate was 48%, and by the eight year mark, 49% 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 | Penn College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 44% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 48% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 49% | 37.80% |
70 non first-time / part-time students or 51% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
13 transferred to another institution.
Penn College lost contact with the remaining 56 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.43% |
| Transferred | 13 | 18.57% |
| Dropped Out | 56 | 80.00% |
