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SMC Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

38% 4-Year Graduation Rate
28% 6-Year Graduation Rate
100% Retention Rate

Santa Monica College 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Make 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.

SMC Retention Rate

100% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

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

With 100% students making it past their freshmen year, SMC 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 California, the average is 73.07%.

SMC Retention  100 out of 100
0%
100%
California Retention  73 out of 100
0%
100%
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Retention Rate
SMC100%
Nationwide70.57%
California73.07%

SMC Graduation Rates

28% 6-Year Graduation Rate
32.31% Transfer Rate
36.30% Dropout Rate

How many of the estimated 10,858 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?

After four years 38% of the cohort graduated. After six years 28% had completed their degree, and 30% after eight years.

The official graduation rate of SMC is 28%. 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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  23%
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  28%
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  30%
0%
100%

SMC Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years8,90923%
Six Years10,85828%
Eight Years8962%
Did Not Complete27,64870%
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.
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SMC Drop Out Rate

Approximately 27648 students or 70% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 27648 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.0%
Transferred1272946.0%
Dropped Out14,30351.7%

SMC Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
Asian48%
Black / African-American16%
Hawaiian67%
Hispanic19%
International40%
Multi-Ethnic31%
Unknown50%
White42%

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 SMC 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 SMC Graduation Rates

9% First-Time, Full-Time
43% 6-Year Grad Rate
Low Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at Santa Monica College represent 9% of the students in the class of 2015, and 14.31% of SMC bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 38%, first-time students in the SMC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the SMC graduation rate was 43%, and by the eight year mark, 45% 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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  38 out of 100
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  43 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  45 out of 100
0%
100%

SMC First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsSMCNationwide
Four Years38%37.92%
Six Years43%46.43%
Eight Years45%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time SMC Drop Out Rates

1948 first-time / full-time students or 55% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred66334.03%
Dropped Out1,25064.17%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

11% First-Time, Part-Time
22% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at Santa Monica College represent 11.05% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 22%, first-time, part-time students in the SMC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 24%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  22 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  24 out of 100
0%
100%

First-Time / Part-Time SMC Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsSMCNationwide
Four Years16%14.37%
Six Years22%21.59%
Eight Years24%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time SMC Drop Out Rates

3315 first-time / part-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled732.20%
Transferred123837.35%
Dropped Out2,00460.45%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

22% Returning, Full-Time
46% 6-Year Grad Rate
Average Grad Rate

8731 SMC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 22.16% 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 46%, 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 48%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  46 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  48 out of 100
0%
100%

SMC Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsSMCNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years46%53.83%
Eight Years48%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time SMC Drop Out Rates

4539 non first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled861.89%
Transferred210646.40%
Dropped Out2,34751.71%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

58% Returning, Part-Time
19% 6-Year Grad Rate
Low Grad Rate

22745 SMC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 57.73% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 19%, 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 22%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  19 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  22 out of 100
0%
100%

SMC Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsSMCNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years19%36.03%
Eight Years22%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time SMC Drop Out Rates

17846 non first-time / part-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled4222.36%
Transferred872248.87%
Dropped Out8,70248.76%

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