by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at SSC? 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 59% students making it past their freshmen year, SSC has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Illinois, the average is 72.64%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| SSC | 59% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Illinois | 72.64% |
There were approximately 245 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
After four years 11% of the cohort graduated. After six years 8% had completed their degree, and 14% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of SSC is 8%. 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.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 211 | 7% |
| Six Years | 245 | 8% |
| Eight Years | 209 | 6% |
| Did Not Complete | 2,731 | 86% |
Approximately 2731 students or 86% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2731 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
834 transferred to another institution.
SSC lost contact with the remaining 1867 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 834 | 30.5% |
| Dropped Out | 1,867 | 68.4% |
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 SSC 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 South Suburban College represent 20% of the students in the class of 2015, and 32.65% of SSC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 11%, first-time students in the SSC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the SSC graduation rate was 13%, and by the eight year mark, 14% 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 | SSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 11% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 13% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 14% | 47.82% |
553 first-time / full-time students or 86% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
243 transferred to another institution.
SSC lost contact with the remaining 302 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 243 | 43.94% |
| Dropped Out | 302 | 54.61% |
First-time / part-time students at South Suburban College represent 22.87% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 8%, first-time, part-time students in the SSC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 25%.
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 | SSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 6% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 8% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 23.72% |
549 first-time / part-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
16 are still enrolled.
208 transferred to another institution.
SSC lost contact with the remaining 325 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 16 | 2.91% |
| Transferred | 208 | 37.89% |
| Dropped Out | 325 | 59.20% |
313 SSC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 9.82% 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 13%, 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 36%.
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 | SSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 13% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 55.07% |
199 non first-time / part-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
155 transferred to another institution.
SSC lost contact with the remaining 42 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.01% |
| Transferred | 155 | 77.89% |
| Dropped Out | 42 | 21.11% |
1503 SSC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 47.16% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 4%, 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 5%.
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 | SSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 4% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 5% | 37.80% |
1430 non first-time / part-time students or 95% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
228 transferred to another institution.
SSC lost contact with the remaining 1198 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 0.28% |
| Transferred | 228 | 15.94% |
| Dropped Out | 1,198 | 83.78% |
