Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how South Dakota State's retention and graduation rates impact you. First year retention rates let you know how many students come back for their sophomore year. Graduation rates tell you how long it takes to complete a degree at South Dakota State . Remember, every extra semester it takes to graduate will increase the cost of your degree.
On This Page You'll Find:
- What These Rates Have To Do With You
- First to Second Year Retention Rate at South Dakota State
- Graduation Rates at South Dakota State University
South Dakota State Has a Better Than Average Freshman Retention Rate
With 76.0% of students making it past their freshman year, South Dakota State University has freshman retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 69.0% . When looking at just colleges and universities in South Dakota , the average is 73.0% .
South Dakota State Freshmen Retention Rate Rankings
Any Questions?
- When you attend a school that is high quality and a good fit for you, it is more likely you'll return for another year. Read more about why retention is so important.
- How many students make it past freshman year? You might be surprised at the answer.
Overall, 52.2% of South Dakota State Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At South Dakota State , there were 3,096 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2015 . By 2017 , six years after beginning their degree, 52.2% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 53.6% of this class eventually completed their degree.
We consider the "on-time" graduation rate for a bachelor's degree to be four years, but colleges typically report their graduation rates after six or even eight years.
This implies that 46.4% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 1,439 students, 28 were still working towards their degree, 895 had transferred to a different institution, and South Dakota State lost contact with the remaining 515 whom we assume dropped out.
Some Students Take More Time to Graduate
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years (on-time). Some schools cater mostly to traditional students while others cater to “non-traditional” students who may be attending part time and thus are likely to take longer to graduate.
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 South Dakota State Represent 70.7% of the Class of 2015 and 74.2% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 31.0% , first-time students in the South Dakota State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After six years, the graduation rate was 54.8% and by 2019 ,56.2% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 35.8% after four years, 46.4% after six years, and 47.8% after eight years.
South Dakota State is Graduating Students Slower Than we Expected
Studies have shown that high-achieving students are more likely to complete their degree on time. Given the academic preparedness of the first-time / full-time students accepted to South Dakota State , we expected that after six years about 61.0% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at South Dakota State
43.8% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 959 students, 18 were still working towards their degree, 629 had transferred to a different institution, and South Dakota State lost contact with the remaining 312 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at South Dakota State Represent 3.7% of the Class of 2015 and 1.6% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 23.5% , first-time students in the South Dakota State class of 2015 who attended classes part-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 23.5% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 21.6% after six years and 23.7% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at South Dakota State
76.5% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 88 students, 4 were still working towards their degree, 45 had transferred to a different institution, and South Dakota State lost contact with the remaining 39 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at South Dakota State Represent 17.8% of the Class of 2015 and 18.8% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 55.4% , returning students in the South Dakota State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After eight years, the graduation rate was 56.5% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 53.8% after six years and 55.1% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at South Dakota State
43.5% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 240 students, 4 were still working towards their degree, 141 had transferred to a different institution, and South Dakota State lost contact with the remaining 95 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at South Dakota State Represent 7.7% of the Class of 2015 and 5.3% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 35.6% , returning students in the South Dakota State class of 2015 who attended classes part-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After eight years, the graduation rate was 36.8% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.0% after six years and 37.8% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at South Dakota State
63.2% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 151 students, 2 were still working towards their degree, 80 had transferred to a different institution, and South Dakota State lost contact with the remaining 69 whom we assume dropped out.
