by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to SUNO after their first year? Are SUNO 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 42% students making it past their freshmen year, SUNO 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 Louisiana, the average is 67.86%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| SUNO | 42% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Louisiana | 67.86% |
Of the 181 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
After four years 8% of the cohort graduated. After six years 31% had completed their degree, and 32% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of SUNO is 31%. 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.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at SUNO? The standard length of time for most students is 4.98 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 138 | 24% |
| Six Years | 181 | 31% |
| Eight Years | 8 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 394 | 68% |
Approximately 394 students or 68% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 394 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
14 transferred to another institution.
SUNO lost contact with the remaining 366 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.3% |
| Transferred | 14 | 3.6% |
| Dropped Out | 366 | 92.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Black / African-American | 19% |
| Unknown | 25% |
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 SUNO 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 Southern University at New Orleans represent 23% of the students in the class of 2015, and 15.47% of SUNO bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 8%, first-time students in the SUNO class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the SUNO graduation rate was 21%, and by the eight year mark, 24% 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 | SUNO | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 8% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 21% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 24% | 47.82% |
101 first-time / full-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
7 transferred to another institution.
SUNO lost contact with the remaining 92 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.99% |
| Transferred | 7 | 6.93% |
| Dropped Out | 92 | 91.09% |
First-time / part-time students at Southern University at New Orleans represent 21.10% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time, part-time students in the SUNO class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 18%.
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 | SUNO | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 17% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 18% | 23.72% |
101 first-time / part-time students or 82% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
SUNO lost contact with the remaining 97 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.98% |
| Transferred | 2 | 1.98% |
| Dropped Out | 97 | 96.04% |
209 SUNO students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 35.85% 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 46%, 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 47%.
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 | SUNO | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 46% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 47% | 55.07% |
110 non first-time / part-time students or 53% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
SUNO lost contact with the remaining 101 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 4.55% |
| Transferred | 4 | 3.64% |
| Dropped Out | 101 | 91.82% |
118 SUNO students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 20.24% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 30%, 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 31%.
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 | SUNO | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 30% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 31% | 37.80% |
82 non first-time / part-time students or 69% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
SUNO lost contact with the remaining 76 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 6.10% |
| Transferred | 1 | 1.22% |
| Dropped Out | 76 | 92.68% |
