by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Shepherd University 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 71% students making it past their freshmen year, Shepherd University 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 West Virginia, the average is 70.53%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Shepherd University | 71% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| West Virginia | 70.53% |
Of the 593 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 43% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 52% of the students had graduated and after eight years 53% 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 Shepherd University graduation rate 52%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 484 | 43% |
| Six Years | 593 | 52% |
| Eight Years | 5 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 535 | 47% |
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 535 students or 47% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 535 students who did not complete their degree?
5 are still enrolled.
350 transferred to another institution.
Shepherd University lost contact with the remaining 177 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 0.9% |
| Transferred | 350 | 65.4% |
| Dropped Out | 177 | 33.1% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 17% |
| Black / African-American | 38% |
| Hispanic | 49% |
| International | 20% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 52% |
| Unknown | 62% |
| White | 51% |
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.
The majority of students at Shepherd University are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Shepherd University represent 51.06% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Shepherd University graduation rate was 46%, 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 | Shepherd University | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 34% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 46% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 47% | 47.82% |
308 first-time / full-time students or 53% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
199 transferred to another institution.
Shepherd University lost contact with the remaining 104 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 1.62% |
| Transferred | 199 | 64.61% |
| Dropped Out | 104 | 33.77% |
First-time / part-time students at Shepherd University represent 0.71% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Shepherd University graduation rate was 0%, and by the eight year mark, 0% 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 | Shepherd University | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 0% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 0% | 23.72% |
8 first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
Shepherd University lost contact with the remaining 5 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 37.50% |
| Dropped Out | 5 | 62.50% |
Returning / full-time students at Shepherd University represent 37.30% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Shepherd University graduation rate was 62%, and by the eight year mark, 62% 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 | Shepherd University | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 62% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 55.07% |
161 non first-time / part-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
115 transferred to another institution.
Shepherd University lost contact with the remaining 44 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.24% |
| Transferred | 115 | 71.43% |
| Dropped Out | 44 | 27.33% |
Returning / part-time students at Shepherd University represent 10.93% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Shepherd University graduation rate was 52%, and by the eight year mark, 53% 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 | Shepherd University | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 46% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 52% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 53% | 37.80% |
58 non first-time / part-time students or 47% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
33 transferred to another institution.
Shepherd University lost contact with the remaining 24 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.72% |
| Transferred | 33 | 56.90% |
| Dropped Out | 24 | 41.38% |
