by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Providence? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 92% students making it past their freshmen year, Providence 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 Rhode Island, the average is 78.84%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Providence | 92% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Rhode Island | 78.84% |
How many of the estimated 918 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 80% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 82% of the students had graduated and after eight years 83% 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 Providence graduation rate 82%.
The average length of time it takes an Providence undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.04 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 869 | 78% |
| Six Years | 918 | 82% |
| Eight Years | 8 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 193 | 17% |
Approximately 193 students or 17% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 193 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
151 transferred to another institution.
Providence lost contact with the remaining 42 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.5% |
| Transferred | 151 | 78.2% |
| Dropped Out | 42 | 21.8% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 100% |
| Black / African-American | 85% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 80% |
| International | 76% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 80% |
| Unknown | 86% |
| White | 86% |
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 Providence 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 Providence College represent 88% of the students in the class of 2015, and 90.31% of Providence bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 80%, first-time students in the Providence class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Providence graduation rate was 84%, and by the eight year mark, 85% 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 | Providence | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 80% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 84% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 85% | 47.82% |
150 first-time / full-time students or 15% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
125 transferred to another institution.
Providence lost contact with the remaining 25 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.67% |
| Transferred | 125 | 83.33% |
| Dropped Out | 25 | 16.67% |
First-time / part-time students at Providence College represent 0.54% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 67%, first-time, part-time students in the Providence class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 67%.
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 | Providence | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 50% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 67% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 23.72% |
2 first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Providence lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 50.00% |
63 Providence students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.63% 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 75%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 75%.
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 | Providence | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 75% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 75% | 55.07% |
16 non first-time / part-time students or 25% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
12 transferred to another institution.
Providence lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 12 | 75.00% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 25.00% |
66 Providence students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.90% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 58%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 62%.
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 | Providence | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 58% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 37.80% |
25 non first-time / part-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
13 transferred to another institution.
Providence lost contact with the remaining 12 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 13 | 52.00% |
| Dropped Out | 12 | 48.00% |
