by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Richland Community 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 60% students making it past their freshmen year, Richland Community 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 | |
|---|---|
| Richland Community College | 60% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Illinois | 72.64% |
How many of the estimated 275 students in the class of 2023 actually finished their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 39% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 44% 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 Richland Community College graduation rate 44%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 249 | 39% |
| Six Years | 275 | 44% |
| Eight Years | 5 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 351 | 56% |
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 351 students or 56% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 351 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
128 transferred to another institution.
Richland Community College lost contact with the remaining 215 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 128 | 36.5% |
| Dropped Out | 215 | 61.3% |
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 Richland Community College are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Richland Community College represent 48.02% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Richland Community College graduation rate was 51%, and by the eight year mark, 52% 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 | Richland Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 49% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 51% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 47.82% |
144 first-time / full-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
57 transferred to another institution.
Richland Community College lost contact with the remaining 83 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 2.78% |
| Transferred | 57 | 39.58% |
| Dropped Out | 83 | 57.64% |
First-time / part-time students at Richland Community College represent 47.86% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Richland Community College graduation rate was 35%, and by the eight year mark, 35% 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 | Richland Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 29% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 35% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 35% | 23.72% |
195 first-time / part-time students or 65% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
63 transferred to another institution.
Richland Community College lost contact with the remaining 128 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 2.05% |
| Transferred | 63 | 32.31% |
| Dropped Out | 128 | 65.64% |
Returning / full-time students at Richland Community College represent 1.90% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Richland Community College graduation rate was 75%, and by the eight year mark, 75% 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 | Richland Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 75% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 75% | 55.07% |
3 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.
3 transferred to another institution.
Richland Community College lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
Returning / part-time students at Richland Community College represent 2.22% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Richland Community College graduation rate was 36%, and by the eight year mark, 36% 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 | Richland Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 36% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 36% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 37.80% |
9 non first-time / part-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
5 transferred to another institution.
Richland Community College lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 5 | 55.56% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 44.44% |
