by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Simpson College? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 77% students making it past their freshmen year, Simpson College 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 Iowa, the average is 68.94%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Simpson College | 77% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Iowa | 68.94% |
There were approximately 347 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 62% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 70% of the students had graduated and after eight years 70% 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 Simpson College graduation rate 70%.
The typical Simpson College student takes 4.03 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 306 | 61% |
| Six Years | 347 | 70% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 150 | 30% |
Approximately 150 students or 30% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 150 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
Simpson College lost contact with the remaining 132 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.7% |
| Transferred | 16 | 10.7% |
| Dropped Out | 132 | 88.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 60% |
| Black / African-American | 80% |
| Hispanic | 58% |
| International | 100% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 50% |
| Unknown | 57% |
| White | 72% |
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 Simpson 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 students at Simpson College represent 67% of the students in the class of 2015, and 65.42% of Simpson College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 62%, first-time students in the Simpson College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Simpson College graduation rate was 68%, and by the eight year mark, 69% 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.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | Simpson College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 62% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 68% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 69% | 47.82% |
104 first-time / full-time students or 31% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
Simpson College lost contact with the remaining 88 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.96% |
| Transferred | 16 | 15.38% |
| Dropped Out | 88 | 84.62% |
First-time / part-time students at Simpson College represent 5.21% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 54%, first-time, part-time students in the Simpson College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 54%.
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 Completions | Simpson College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 27% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 54% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 54% | 23.72% |
12 first-time / part-time students or 46% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Simpson College lost contact with the remaining 10 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 16.67% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 10 | 83.33% |
83 Simpson College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.63% 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 78%, 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 78%.
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.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | Simpson College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 78% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 78% | 55.07% |
18 non first-time / part-time students or 22% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Simpson College lost contact with the remaining 18 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 18 | 100.00% |
57 Simpson College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.42% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 72%, 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 72%.
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.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | Simpson College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 72% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 72% | 37.80% |
16 non first-time / part-time students or 28% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Simpson College lost contact with the remaining 16 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 16 | 100.00% |
