by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to PVCC after their first year? Are PVCC 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 56% students making it past their freshmen year, PVCC 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 Virginia, the average is 69.66%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| PVCC | 56% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Virginia | 69.66% |
There were approximately 347 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
After four years 31% of the cohort graduated. After six years 23% had completed their degree, and 24% after eight years.
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 PVCC graduation rate 23%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 284 | 19% |
| Six Years | 347 | 23% |
| Eight Years | 22 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,155 | 76% |
Approximately 1155 students or 76% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1155 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
252 transferred to another institution.
PVCC lost contact with the remaining 885 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 252 | 21.8% |
| Dropped Out | 885 | 76.6% |
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 PVCC 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 Piedmont Virginia Community College represent 24% of the students in the class of 2015, and 37.18% of PVCC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 31%, first-time students in the PVCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the PVCC graduation rate was 36%, and by the eight year mark, 37% 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 | PVCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 31% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 36% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 37% | 47.82% |
226 first-time / full-time students or 63% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
64 transferred to another institution.
PVCC lost contact with the remaining 158 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 64 | 28.32% |
| Dropped Out | 158 | 69.91% |
First-time / part-time students at Piedmont Virginia Community College represent 34.91% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 15%, first-time, part-time students in the PVCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 17%.
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 | PVCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 11% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 15% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 17% | 23.72% |
443 first-time / part-time students or 83% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
8 are still enrolled.
78 transferred to another institution.
PVCC lost contact with the remaining 357 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 1.81% |
| Transferred | 78 | 17.61% |
| Dropped Out | 357 | 80.59% |
167 PVCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 10.96% 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 33%, 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 34%.
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 | PVCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 33% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 34% | 55.07% |
110 non first-time / part-time students or 66% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
40 transferred to another institution.
PVCC lost contact with the remaining 69 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.91% |
| Transferred | 40 | 36.36% |
| Dropped Out | 69 | 62.73% |
466 PVCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 30.58% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 18%, 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 19%.
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 | PVCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 18% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 19% | 37.80% |
376 non first-time / part-time students or 81% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
70 transferred to another institution.
PVCC lost contact with the remaining 301 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 1.33% |
| Transferred | 70 | 18.62% |
| Dropped Out | 301 | 80.05% |
