by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Ripon? 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 76% students making it past their freshmen year, Ripon 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 Wisconsin, the average is 74.47%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Ripon | 76% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Wisconsin | 74.47% |
Of the 177 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
62% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 69% in six years, and 70% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of Ripon is 69%. 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 Ripon student takes 4.13 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 161 | 63% |
| Six Years | 177 | 69% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 78 | 30% |
Approximately 78 students or 30% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 78 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
40 transferred to another institution.
Ripon lost contact with the remaining 37 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 40 | 51.3% |
| Dropped Out | 37 | 47.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 60% |
| Black / African-American | 22% |
| Hispanic | 70% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 80% |
| White | 70% |
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 Ripon 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 Ripon College represent 89% of the students in the class of 2015, and 87.57% of Ripon bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 62%, first-time students in the Ripon class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Ripon graduation rate was 68%, and by the eight year mark, 68% 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 | Ripon | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 62% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 68% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 68% | 47.82% |
72 first-time / full-time students or 32% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
38 transferred to another institution.
Ripon lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 38 | 52.78% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 45.83% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Ripon first-time, part-time students.
28 Ripon students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 10.94% 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 79%, 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 79%.
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 | Ripon | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 79% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 79% | 55.07% |
6 non first-time / part-time students or 21% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
Ripon 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 | 2 | 33.33% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 66.67% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Ripon returning, part-time students.
