by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding SMC retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
There were approximately 3491 students in the class of 2023. 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 2025, six years after starting their degree, 26% of the students had graduated and after eight years 28% of this class completed their degree.
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 SMC graduation rate 26%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2947 | 22% |
| Six Years | 3491 | 26% |
| Eight Years | 227 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 9565 | 72% |
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
Approximately 9565 students or 72% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 9565 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
3919 transferred to another institution.
SMC lost contact with the remaining 5494 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 3919 | 41.0% |
| Dropped Out | 5494 | 57.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 33% |
| Asian | 44% |
| Black / African-American | 20% |
| Hawaiian | 33% |
| Hispanic | 27% |
| International | 47% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 32% |
| Unknown | 21% |
| White | 42% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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.
A meaningful share of students at SMC are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Santa Monica College represent 30.58% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the SMC graduation rate was 45%, and by the eight year mark, 47% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | SMC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 41% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 45% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 47% | 47.82% |
2167 first-time / full-time students or 53% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
42 are still enrolled.
714 transferred to another institution.
SMC lost contact with the remaining 1411 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 42 | 1.94% |
| Transferred | 714 | 32.95% |
| Dropped Out | 1411 | 65.11% |
First-time / part-time students at Santa Monica College represent 26.24% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the SMC graduation rate was 23%, and by the eight year mark, 25% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | SMC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 18% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 23% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 23.72% |
2607 first-time / part-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
55 are still enrolled.
784 transferred to another institution.
SMC lost contact with the remaining 1768 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 55 | 2.11% |
| Transferred | 784 | 30.07% |
| Dropped Out | 1768 | 67.82% |
Returning / full-time students at Santa Monica College represent 8.37% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the SMC graduation rate was 28%, and by the eight year mark, 29% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Completions | SMC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 28% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 55.07% |
788 non first-time / part-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
459 transferred to another institution.
SMC lost contact with the remaining 325 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 0.51% |
| Transferred | 459 | 58.25% |
| Dropped Out | 325 | 41.24% |
Returning / part-time students at Santa Monica College represent 34.81% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the SMC graduation rate was 12%, and by the eight year mark, 13% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 30.46% after four years, 36.03% after six years, and 37.80% after eight years.
| Completions | SMC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 12% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 13% | 37.80% |
4003 non first-time / part-time students or 87% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
51 are still enrolled.
1962 transferred to another institution.
SMC lost contact with the remaining 1990 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 51 | 1.27% |
| Transferred | 1962 | 49.01% |
| Dropped Out | 1990 | 49.71% |
