SMU MN Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Are students coming back to SMU MN after their first year? Are SMU MN students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.

• SMU MN Retention Rate
• SMU MN 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
• SMU MN Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

SMU MN Retention Rate

The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.

With 79% students making it past their freshmen year, SMU MN 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 Minnesota, the average is 67.05%.

SMU MN Graduation Rates

There were approximately 505 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

Four years after beginning their degree, 54% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 66% of the students had graduated and after eight years 67% of this class completed their degree.

The official graduation rate of SMU MN is 66%. 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 typical SMU MN student takes 4.08 years to complete their bachelor's degree.

SMU MN Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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SMU MN Drop Out Rate

Approximately 254 students or 33% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 254 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 167 transferred to another institution.

• SMU MN lost contact with the remaining 86 who we assumed dropped out.

SMU MN Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

First-time, full-time students, under the age of 25 are known as traditional students. These students are more likely to graduate in four years than so called 'non-traditional' students that includes part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. Some schools cater to non-traditional students and it may affect their overall graduation rates.

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 SMU MN are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.

How does this school do graduating the type of student you are most concerned bout?

First-Time / Full-Time SMU MN Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota represent 50% of the students in the class of 2015, and 43.76% of SMU MN bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 54%, first-time students in the SMU MN class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the SMU MN graduation rate was 58%, and by the eight year mark, 59% 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.

SMU MN First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

First-Time / Full-Time SMU MN Drop Out Rates

157 first-time / full-time students or 41% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 135 transferred to another institution.

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

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

First-time / part-time students at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota represent 4.43% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 68%, first-time, part-time students in the SMU MN class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 68%.

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 SMU MN Graduation Rates vs. National Average

First-Time / Part-Time SMU MN Drop Out Rates

11 first-time / part-time students or 32% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 5 transferred to another institution.

• SMU MN lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

121 SMU MN students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.78% 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 80%.

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.

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

Non First-Time / Full-Time SMU MN Drop Out Rates

24 non first-time / part-time students or 20% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 10 transferred to another institution.

• SMU MN lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

232 SMU MN students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 30.25% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 72%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 73%.

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.

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

Non First-Time / Part-Time SMU MN Drop Out Rates

62 non first-time / part-time students or 27% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 1 are still enrolled.

• 17 transferred to another institution.

• SMU MN lost contact with the remaining 44 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

• Image Credit: By Mulad under License