San Diego Mesa College Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

San Diego Mesa College 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

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

• San Diego Mesa College 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
• San Diego Mesa College Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.

With % students making it past their freshmen year, San Diego Mesa 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%.

San Diego Mesa College Graduation Rates

There were approximately 6,537 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

32% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 20% in six years, and 22% in eight years.

Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical San Diego Mesa College graduation rate 20%.

San Diego Mesa College Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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San Diego Mesa College Drop Out Rate

Approximately 25164 students or 78% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 25164 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 16502 transferred to another institution.

• San Diego Mesa College lost contact with the remaining 8341 who we assumed dropped out.

San Diego Mesa College Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

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 Mesa 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 San Diego Mesa College Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at San Diego Mesa College represent 5% of the students in the class of 2015, and 9.22% of San Diego Mesa College bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 32%, first-time students in the San Diego Mesa College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the San Diego Mesa College graduation rate was 37%, and by the eight year mark, 39% 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.

San Diego Mesa College First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

First-Time / Full-Time San Diego Mesa College Drop Out Rates

1009 first-time / full-time students or 61% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 504 transferred to another institution.

• San Diego Mesa College lost contact with the remaining 486 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

First-time / part-time students at San Diego Mesa College represent 10.93% 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 Mesa 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 18%.

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 San Diego Mesa College Graduation Rates vs. National Average

First-Time / Part-Time San Diego Mesa College Drop Out Rates

2905 first-time / part-time students or 82% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 30 are still enrolled.

• 1437 transferred to another institution.

• San Diego Mesa College lost contact with the remaining 1438 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

5828 San Diego Mesa College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 18.06% 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 33%, 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.

San Diego Mesa College Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

Non First-Time / Full-Time San Diego Mesa College Drop Out Rates

3755 non first-time / part-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 59 are still enrolled.

• 2456 transferred to another institution.

• San Diego Mesa College lost contact with the remaining 1240 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

21272 San Diego Mesa College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 65.92% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 16%, 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 18%.

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.

San Diego Mesa College Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

Non First-Time / Part-Time San Diego Mesa College Drop Out Rates

17495 non first-time / part-time students or 82% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 213 are still enrolled.

• 12105 transferred to another institution.

• San Diego Mesa College lost contact with the remaining 5177 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