by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Rockford 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 65% students making it past their freshmen year, Rockford 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 | |
|---|---|
| Rockford | 65% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Illinois | 72.64% |
How many of the estimated 198 students in the class of 2023 actually finished their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 54% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 60% of the students had graduated and after eight years 60% 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 Rockford graduation rate 60%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 179 | 54% |
| Six Years | 198 | 60% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 134 | 40% |
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 134 students or 40% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 134 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
79 transferred to another institution.
Rockford lost contact with the remaining 55 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 79 | 59.0% |
| Dropped Out | 55 | 41.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 19% |
| Hispanic | 29% |
| International | 67% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 29% |
| Unknown | 60% |
| White | 44% |
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 Rockford are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Rockford University represent 48.19% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Rockford graduation rate was 46%, and by the eight year mark, 46% 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 | Rockford | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 36% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 46% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 46% | 47.82% |
87 first-time / full-time students or 54% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
58 transferred to another institution.
Rockford lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 58 | 66.67% |
| Dropped Out | 29 | 33.33% |
We don’t have data for this cohort at Rockford University.
Returning / full-time students at Rockford University represent 46.39% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Rockford graduation rate was 73%, and by the eight year mark, 73% 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 | Rockford | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 73% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 73% | 55.07% |
41 non first-time / part-time students or 27% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
20 transferred to another institution.
Rockford lost contact with the remaining 21 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 20 | 48.78% |
| Dropped Out | 21 | 51.22% |
Returning / part-time students at Rockford University represent 5.42% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Rockford graduation rate was 67%, and by the eight year mark, 67% 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 | Rockford | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 67% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 67% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 37.80% |
6 non first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Rockford lost contact with the remaining 5 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 16.67% |
| Dropped Out | 5 | 83.33% |
