by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many RPI first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore RPI retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 91% students making it past their freshmen year, RPI 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 New York, the average is 73.51%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| RPI | 91% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
Of the 1,125 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 61% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 84% of the students had graduated and after eight years 84% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of RPI is 84%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.
The average length of time it takes an RPI undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.24 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 850 | 63% |
| Six Years | 1,125 | 84% |
| Eight Years | 4 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 212 | 16% |
Approximately 212 students or 16% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 212 students who did not complete their degree?
2 are still enrolled.
44 transferred to another institution.
RPI lost contact with the remaining 166 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.9% |
| Transferred | 44 | 20.8% |
| Dropped Out | 166 | 78.3% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 84% |
| Black / African-American | 78% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 78% |
| International | 90% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 90% |
| Unknown | 80% |
| White | 88% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
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 RPI are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute represent 89% of the students in the class of 2015, and 88.36% of RPI bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 61%, first-time students in the RPI class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the RPI graduation rate was 83%, and by the eight year mark, 84% 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 | RPI | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 61% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 83% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 84% | 47.82% |
193 first-time / full-time students or 16% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
41 transferred to another institution.
RPI lost contact with the remaining 151 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.04% |
| Transferred | 41 | 21.24% |
| Dropped Out | 151 | 78.24% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on RPI first-time, part-time students.
150 RPI students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.19% 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 87%, 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 87%.
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 | RPI | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 87% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 87% | 55.07% |
19 non first-time / part-time students or 13% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
RPI lost contact with the remaining 15 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 5.26% |
| Transferred | 3 | 15.79% |
| Dropped Out | 15 | 78.95% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on RPI returning, part-time students.
