by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Samford? 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 percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 87% students making it past their freshmen year, Samford 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 Alabama, the average is 66.79%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Samford | 87% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Alabama | 66.79% |
There were approximately 630 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 64% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 69% of the students had graduated and after eight years 70% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of Samford is 69%. 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 Samford student takes 4.16 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 535 | 59% |
| Six Years | 630 | 69% |
| Eight Years | 9 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 269 | 30% |
Approximately 269 students or 30% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 269 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
194 transferred to another institution.
Samford lost contact with the remaining 74 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 194 | 72.1% |
| Dropped Out | 74 | 27.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 64% |
| Black / African-American | 55% |
| Hispanic | 85% |
| International | 86% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 73% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 78% |
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 Samford 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 students at Samford University represent 77% of the students in the class of 2015, and 83.97% of Samford bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 64%, first-time students in the Samford class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Samford graduation rate was 75%, and by the eight year mark, 76% 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 | Samford | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 64% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 75% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 76% | 47.82% |
166 first-time / full-time students or 24% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
143 transferred to another institution.
Samford lost contact with the remaining 23 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 143 | 86.14% |
| Dropped Out | 23 | 13.86% |
First-time / part-time students at Samford University represent 1.32% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 33%, first-time, part-time students in the Samford class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 33%.
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 Completions | Samford | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 8% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 33% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 23.72% |
8 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.
3 transferred to another institution.
Samford lost contact with the remaining 5 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 37.50% |
| Dropped Out | 5 | 62.50% |
128 Samford students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.04% 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 63%, 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 63%.
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 | Samford | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 63% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 55.07% |
48 non first-time / part-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
34 transferred to another institution.
Samford lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 34 | 70.83% |
| Dropped Out | 14 | 29.17% |
68 Samford students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 7.46% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 25%, 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 30%.
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 | Samford | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 25% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 30% | 37.80% |
47 non first-time / part-time students or 70% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
14 transferred to another institution.
Samford lost contact with the remaining 32 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.13% |
| Transferred | 14 | 29.79% |
| Dropped Out | 32 | 68.09% |
