by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Prairie State 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 percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 51% students making it past their freshmen year, Prairie State College has freshmen retention rates below 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 | |
|---|---|
| Prairie State College | 51% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Illinois | 72.64% |
Of the 287 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 19% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 22% of the students had graduated and after eight years 23% 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 Prairie State College graduation rate 22%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 254 | 19% |
| Six Years | 287 | 22% |
| Eight Years | 13 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 1013 | 77% |
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 1013 students or 77% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1013 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
600 transferred to another institution.
Prairie State College lost contact with the remaining 404 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 600 | 59.2% |
| Dropped Out | 404 | 39.9% |
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.
A meaningful share of students at Prairie State College are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Prairie State College represent 22.54% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Prairie State College graduation rate was 21%, and by the eight year mark, 23% 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 | Prairie State College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 18% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 21% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 23% | 47.82% |
227 first-time / full-time students or 77% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
126 transferred to another institution.
Prairie State College lost contact with the remaining 100 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.44% |
| Transferred | 126 | 55.51% |
| Dropped Out | 100 | 44.05% |
First-time / part-time students at Prairie State College represent 48.21% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Prairie State College graduation rate was 17%, and by the eight year mark, 18% 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 | Prairie State College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 16% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 17% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 18% | 23.72% |
522 first-time / part-time students or 82% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
320 transferred to another institution.
Prairie State College lost contact with the remaining 196 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 1.15% |
| Transferred | 320 | 61.30% |
| Dropped Out | 196 | 37.55% |
Returning / full-time students at Prairie State College represent 12.19% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Prairie State College graduation rate was 37%, and by the eight year mark, 38% 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 | Prairie State College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 37% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 55.07% |
100 non first-time / part-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
63 transferred to another institution.
Prairie State College lost contact with the remaining 37 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 63 | 63.00% |
| Dropped Out | 37 | 37.00% |
Returning / part-time students at Prairie State College represent 17.06% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Prairie State College graduation rate was 25%, and by the eight year mark, 27% 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 | Prairie State College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 21% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 25% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 27% | 37.80% |
164 non first-time / part-time students or 73% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
91 transferred to another institution.
Prairie State College lost contact with the remaining 71 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.22% |
| Transferred | 91 | 55.49% |
| Dropped Out | 71 | 43.29% |
