by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to South University's online programs after their first year? Are South University's online programs students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 26% students making it past their freshmen year, South University’s online programs 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 Georgia, the average is 65.40%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| South University’s online programs | 26% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Georgia | 65.40% |
How many of the estimated 1,112 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
3% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 7% in six years, and 7% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of South University's online programs is 7%. 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 average South University's online programs student takes 4.56 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 800 | 5% |
| Six Years | 1,112 | 7% |
| Eight Years | 47 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 14,941 | 93% |
Approximately 14941 students or 93% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 14941 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
2804 transferred to another institution.
South University’s online programs lost contact with the remaining 12137 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 2804 | 18.8% |
| Dropped Out | 12,137 | 81.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 3% |
| Asian | 17% |
| Black / African-American | 2% |
| Hispanic | 5% |
| Unknown | 2% |
| White | 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 South University's online programs 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 University's online programs represent 53% of the students in the class of 2015, and 32.19% of South University's online programs bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 3%, first-time students in the South University's online programs class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the South University's online programs graduation rate was 4%, and by the eight year mark, 4% 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 | South University’s online programs | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 4% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 4% | 47.82% |
8197 first-time / full-time students or 96% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1201 transferred to another institution.
South University’s online programs lost contact with the remaining 6996 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1201 | 14.65% |
| Dropped Out | 6,996 | 85.35% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on South University’s online programs first-time, part-time students.
7563 South University's online programs students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 46.83% 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 10%, 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 10%.
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 | South University’s online programs | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 10% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 10% | 55.07% |
6744 non first-time / part-time students or 90% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1603 transferred to another institution.
South University’s online programs lost contact with the remaining 5141 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1603 | 23.77% |
| Dropped Out | 5,141 | 76.23% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on South University’s online programs returning, part-time students.
