SVA Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

School of Visual Arts 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Make an informed decision about your education by understanding SVA 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.

• SVA Retention Rate
• SVA 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
• SVA Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

SVA Retention Rate

The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.

With 77% students making it past their freshmen year, SVA 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 New York, the average is 73.51%.

SVA Graduation Rates

Of the 720 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?

Four years after beginning their degree, 56% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 68% of the students had graduated and after eight years 69% of this class completed their degree.

The official graduation rate of SVA is 68%. 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 SVA student takes 4.22 years to complete their bachelor's degree.

SVA Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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SVA Drop Out Rate

Approximately 334 students or 31% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 334 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 204 transferred to another institution.

• SVA lost contact with the remaining 130 who we assumed dropped out.

SVA Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

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 SVA 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 SVA Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at School of Visual Arts represent 62% of the students in the class of 2015, and 58.47% of SVA bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 56%, first-time students in the SVA class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the SVA graduation rate was 64%, and by the eight year mark, 65% 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.

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

First-Time / Full-Time SVA Drop Out Rates

231 first-time / full-time students or 35% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 164 transferred to another institution.

• SVA lost contact with the remaining 67 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

First-time / part-time students at School of Visual Arts represent 0.28% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 33%, first-time, part-time students in the SVA class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 67%.

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 SVA Graduation Rates vs. National Average

First-Time / Part-Time SVA Drop Out Rates

1 first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 0 transferred to another institution.

• SVA lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

399 SVA students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 37.57% 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 74%, 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 74%.

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.

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

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

102 non first-time / part-time students or 26% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 40 transferred to another institution.

• SVA lost contact with the remaining 62 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

2 SVA students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.19% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 100%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 100%.

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.

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

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