Rockford Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

Rockford University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How many Rockford first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore Rockford retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.

• Rockford Retention Rate
• Rockford Graduation Rate
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
• Rockford Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

Rockford Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.

With 66% students making it past their freshmen year, Rockford has freshmen retention rates similar to 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%.

Rockford Graduation Rates

There were approximately 198 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

Four years after beginning their degree, 29% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 46% of the students had graduated and after eight years 47% of this class completed their degree.

The official graduation rate of Rockford is 46%. 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 Rockford student takes 4.43 years to graduate with their bachelors.

Rockford Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Rockford Drop Out Rate

Approximately 229 students or 53% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 229 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 129 transferred to another institution.

• Rockford lost contact with the remaining 100 who we assumed dropped out.

Rockford Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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. 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 Rockford 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 Rockford Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at Rockford University represent 38% of the students in the class of 2015, and 32.32% of Rockford bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 29%, first-time students in the Rockford class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the Rockford graduation rate was 39%, and by the eight year mark, 39% 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.

Rockford First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

First-Time / Full-Time Rockford Drop Out Rates

101 first-time / full-time students or 61% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 61 transferred to another institution.

• Rockford lost contact with the remaining 40 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

First-time / part-time students at Rockford University represent 2.79% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time, part-time students in the Rockford class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 17%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.

First-Time / Part-Time Rockford Graduation Rates vs. National Average

First-Time / Part-Time Rockford Drop Out Rates

10 first-time / part-time students or 83% 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 9 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

212 Rockford students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 49.30% 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 60%, 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 60%.

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.

Rockford Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

Non First-Time / Full-Time Rockford Drop Out Rates

84 non first-time / part-time students or 40% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 62 transferred to another institution.

• Rockford lost contact with the remaining 22 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

41 Rockford students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 9.53% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 10%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 17%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.

Rockford Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

Non First-Time / Part-Time Rockford Drop Out Rates

34 non first-time / part-time students or 83% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 5 transferred to another institution.

• Rockford lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.

More Resources:

• An Explanation of Freshman Retention Rates.

• How Common is it to Transfer to a Different College?

• Are Non-Traditional Students Less Likely to Graduate?

• How Many People Drop-Out of College?

• How Average Time to Graduate Can Affect the Value of Your Degree.

References

• National Center for Education Statistics