by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at STAC? 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 75% students making it past their freshmen year, STAC 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 New York, the average is 73.51%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| STAC | 75% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
There were approximately 259 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 44% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 59% of the students had graduated and after eight years 60% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of STAC is 59%. 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 length of time it takes an STAC undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.19 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 226 | 51% |
| Six Years | 259 | 59% |
| Eight Years | 6 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 177 | 40% |
Approximately 177 students or 40% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 177 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
116 transferred to another institution.
STAC lost contact with the remaining 61 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 116 | 65.5% |
| Dropped Out | 61 | 34.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 57% |
| Black / African-American | 16% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 69% |
| International | 57% |
| Unknown | 85% |
| White | 61% |
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 STAC 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 students at St. Thomas Aquinas College represent 69% of the students in the class of 2015, and 63.32% of STAC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 44%, first-time students in the STAC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the STAC graduation rate was 54%, and by the eight year mark, 55% 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 | STAC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 44% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 54% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 55% | 47.82% |
135 first-time / full-time students or 45% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
113 transferred to another institution.
STAC lost contact with the remaining 22 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 113 | 83.70% |
| Dropped Out | 22 | 16.30% |
First-time / part-time students at St. Thomas Aquinas College represent 1.13% of the students in the class of 2015.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | STAC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 1% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 23.72% |
3 first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
STAC lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 100.00% |
114 STAC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 25.79% 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 83%, 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 83%.
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 | STAC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 83% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 83% | 55.07% |
19 non first-time / part-time students or 17% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
STAC lost contact with the remaining 17 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 10.53% |
| Dropped Out | 17 | 89.47% |
20 STAC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 4.52% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 0%, 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 0%.
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.
20 non first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
STAC lost contact with the remaining 19 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 5.00% |
| Dropped Out | 19 | 95.00% |
