by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many SMC first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore SMC retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 81% students making it past their freshmen year, SMC 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 California, the average is 73.07%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| SMC | 81% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
Of the 705 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 65% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 76% of the students had graduated and after eight years 77% of this class completed their degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official SMC graduation rate 76%.
The average length of time it takes an SMC undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.11 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 619 | 66% |
| Six Years | 705 | 76% |
| Eight Years | 9 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 217 | 23% |
Approximately 217 students or 23% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 217 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
158 transferred to another institution.
SMC lost contact with the remaining 59 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.5% |
| Transferred | 158 | 72.8% |
| Dropped Out | 59 | 27.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 78% |
| Black / African-American | 65% |
| Hawaiian | 86% |
| Hispanic | 76% |
| International | 35% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 70% |
| Unknown | 57% |
| White | 76% |
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 SMC 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 Saint Mary's College of California represent 71% of the students in the class of 2015, and 71.91% of SMC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 65%, first-time students in the SMC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the SMC graduation rate was 76%, and by the eight year mark, 77% 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 | SMC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 65% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 76% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 77% | 47.82% |
151 first-time / full-time students or 23% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
118 transferred to another institution.
SMC lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.66% |
| Transferred | 118 | 78.15% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 21.85% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on SMC first-time, part-time students.
261 SMC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 28.03% 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 75%, 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 76%.
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 | SMC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 75% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 76% | 55.07% |
62 non first-time / part-time students or 24% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
38 transferred to another institution.
SMC lost contact with the remaining 24 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 38 | 61.29% |
| Dropped Out | 24 | 38.71% |
6 SMC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.64% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 33%, 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 33%.
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.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | SMC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 33% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 37.80% |
4 non first-time / part-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
SMC lost contact with the remaining 2 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 2 | 50.00% |
