Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how RPI's retention and graduation rates impact you. First year retention rates let you know how many students come back for their sophomore year. Graduation rates tell you how long it takes to complete a degree at RPI . Remember, every extra semester it takes to graduate will increase the cost of your degree.
On This Page You'll Find:
- What These Rates Have To Do With You
- First to Second Year Retention Rate at RPI
- Graduation Rates at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
RPI Has One of the Best Freshman Retention Rates in the Country
With 92.0% of students staying on for a second year, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is one of the best in the country when it comes to freshman retention.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 69.0% . When looking at just colleges and universities in New York , the average is 73.0% .
RPI Freshmen Retention Rate Rankings
Any Questions?
- When you attend a school that is high quality and a good fit for you, it is more likely you'll return for another year. Read more about why retention is so important.
- How many students make it past freshman year? You might be surprised at the answer.
Overall, 83.9% of RPI Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At RPI , there were 1,341 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2015 . By 2017 , six years after beginning their degree, 83.9% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 84.2% of this class eventually completed their degree.
We consider the "on-time" graduation rate for a bachelor's degree to be four years, but colleges typically report their graduation rates after six or even eight years.
This implies that 15.8% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 213 students, 2 were still working towards their degree, 44 had transferred to a different institution, and RPI lost contact with the remaining 166 whom we assume dropped out.
Some Students Take More Time to Graduate
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years (on-time). Some schools cater mostly to traditional students while others cater to “non-traditional” students who may be attending part time and thus are likely to take longer to graduate.
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 RPI Represent 88.8% of the Class of 2015 and 88.4% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 61.0% , first-time students in the RPI class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were among the most likely in the nation to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 83.5% and by 2019 ,83.8% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 35.8% after four years, 46.4% after six years, and 47.8% after eight years.
RPI is Graduating Students Slower Than we Expected
Studies have shown that high-achieving students are more likely to complete their degree on time. Given the academic preparedness of the first-time / full-time students accepted to RPI , we expected that after six years about 88.1% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at RPI
16.2% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 193 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 41 had transferred to a different institution, and RPI lost contact with the remaining 151 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at RPI Represent 0.0% of the Class of 2015 and 0.0% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
None of the students in RPI's class of 2015 were classified as as a "first-time" student attending classes "part-time".
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 21.6% after six years and 23.7% after eight years.
Returning / Full-time Students at RPI Represent 11.2% of the Class of 2015 and 11.6% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 87.3% , returning students in the RPI class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were among the most likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 87.3% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 53.8% after six years and 55.1% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at RPI
12.7% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 19 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 3 had transferred to a different institution, and RPI lost contact with the remaining 15 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at RPI Represent 0.0% of the Class of 2015 and 0.0% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
None of the students in RPI's class of 2015 were classified as as a "returning" student attending classes "part-time".
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.0% after six years and 37.8% after eight years.
