by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Purdue Northwest? 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 71% students making it past their freshmen year, Purdue Northwest 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 Indiana, the average is 70.89%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Purdue Northwest | 71% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Indiana | 70.89% |
Of the 1,396 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 13% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 41% of the students had graduated and after eight years 44% 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 Purdue Northwest graduation rate 41%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Purdue Northwest? The standard length of time for most students is 4.69 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 915 | 27% |
| Six Years | 1,396 | 41% |
| Eight Years | 126 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,909 | 56% |
Approximately 1909 students or 56% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1909 students who did not complete their degree?
32 are still enrolled.
1008 transferred to another institution.
Purdue Northwest lost contact with the remaining 852 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 32 | 1.7% |
| Transferred | 1008 | 52.8% |
| Dropped Out | 852 | 44.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 25% |
| Asian | 58% |
| Black / African-American | 17% |
| Hispanic | 42% |
| International | 75% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 27% |
| Unknown | 43% |
| White | 44% |
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 Purdue Northwest 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 Purdue University Northwest represent 49% of the students in the class of 2015, and 39.04% of Purdue Northwest bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 13%, first-time students in the Purdue Northwest class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Purdue Northwest graduation rate was 33%, and by the eight year mark, 38% 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 | Purdue Northwest | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 13% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 33% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 47.82% |
1040 first-time / full-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
32 are still enrolled.
559 transferred to another institution.
Purdue Northwest lost contact with the remaining 449 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 32 | 3.08% |
| Transferred | 559 | 53.75% |
| Dropped Out | 449 | 43.17% |
First-time / part-time students at Purdue University Northwest represent 6.81% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 13%, first-time, part-time students in the Purdue Northwest class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 18%.
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 | Purdue Northwest | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 6% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 13% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 18% | 23.72% |
192 first-time / part-time students or 82% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
8 are still enrolled.
72 transferred to another institution.
Purdue Northwest lost contact with the remaining 112 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 4.17% |
| Transferred | 72 | 37.50% |
| Dropped Out | 112 | 58.33% |
760 Purdue Northwest students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 22.13% 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 46%, 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 48%.
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 | Purdue Northwest | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 46% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 55.07% |
396 non first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
227 transferred to another institution.
Purdue Northwest lost contact with the remaining 163 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 1.52% |
| Transferred | 227 | 57.32% |
| Dropped Out | 163 | 41.16% |
766 Purdue Northwest students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 22.31% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 61%, 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 63%.
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 | Purdue Northwest | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 61% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 37.80% |
281 non first-time / part-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
150 transferred to another institution.
Purdue Northwest lost contact with the remaining 128 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 1.07% |
| Transferred | 150 | 53.38% |
| Dropped Out | 128 | 45.55% |
