by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to San Diego City College after their first year? Are San Diego City College students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 64% students making it past their freshmen year, San Diego City College 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 California, the average is 73.07%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| San Diego City College | 64% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
There were approximately 4,499 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 22% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 21% of the students had graduated and after eight years 23% 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 San Diego City College graduation rate 21%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3,707 | 18% |
| Six Years | 4,499 | 21% |
| Eight Years | 375 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 16,128 | 77% |
Approximately 16128 students or 77% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 16128 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
13497 transferred to another institution.
San Diego City College lost contact with the remaining 2385 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 13497 | 83.7% |
| Dropped Out | 2,385 | 14.8% |
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 San Diego City College 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 San Diego City College represent 5% of the students in the class of 2015, and 6.36% of San Diego City College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 22%, first-time students in the San Diego City College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the San Diego City College graduation rate was 28%, and by the eight year mark, 31% 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 | San Diego City College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 22% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 28% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 31% | 47.82% |
700 first-time / full-time students or 69% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
625 transferred to another institution.
San Diego City College lost contact with the remaining 58 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 625 | 89.29% |
| Dropped Out | 58 | 8.29% |
First-time / part-time students at San Diego City College represent 9.33% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 16%, first-time, part-time students in the San Diego City College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 19%.
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 | San Diego City College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 12% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 16% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 19% | 23.72% |
1586 first-time / part-time students or 81% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
26 are still enrolled.
1208 transferred to another institution.
San Diego City College lost contact with the remaining 352 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 26 | 1.64% |
| Transferred | 1208 | 76.17% |
| Dropped Out | 352 | 22.19% |
3485 San Diego City College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.59% 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 35%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 36%.
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 | San Diego City College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 35% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 55.07% |
2216 non first-time / part-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
41 are still enrolled.
1941 transferred to another institution.
San Diego City College lost contact with the remaining 234 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 41 | 1.85% |
| Transferred | 1941 | 87.59% |
| Dropped Out | 234 | 10.56% |
14548 San Diego City College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 69.27% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 18%, 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 20%.
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 | San Diego City College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 18% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 20% | 37.80% |
11626 non first-time / part-time students or 80% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
162 are still enrolled.
9723 transferred to another institution.
San Diego City College lost contact with the remaining 1741 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 162 | 1.39% |
| Transferred | 9723 | 83.63% |
| Dropped Out | 1,741 | 14.98% |
