by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Southwestern after their first year? Are Southwestern 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 86% students making it past their freshmen year, Southwestern 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 Texas, the average is 68.17%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Southwestern | 86% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Texas | 68.17% |
How many of the estimated 291 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
After four years 67% of the cohort graduated. After six years 72% had completed their degree, and 72% after eight years.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official Southwestern graduation rate 72%.
The typical Southwestern student takes 4.12 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 265 | 65% |
| Six Years | 291 | 72% |
| Eight Years | 2 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 112 | 28% |
Approximately 112 students or 28% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 112 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
94 transferred to another institution.
Southwestern lost contact with the remaining 17 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 94 | 83.9% |
| Dropped Out | 17 | 15.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 90% |
| Black / African-American | 73% |
| Hispanic | 76% |
| International | 56% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 82% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| 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 Southwestern 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 Southwestern University represent 85% of the students in the class of 2015, and 87.29% of Southwestern bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 67%, first-time students in the Southwestern class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Southwestern graduation rate was 74%, and by the eight year mark, 74% 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 | Southwestern | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 67% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 74% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 74% | 47.82% |
88 first-time / full-time students or 26% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
77 transferred to another institution.
Southwestern lost contact with the remaining 10 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 77 | 87.50% |
| Dropped Out | 10 | 11.36% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Southwestern first-time, part-time students.
62 Southwestern students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.23% 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 62%, 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 62%.
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 | Southwestern | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 62% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 55.07% |
23 non first-time / part-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
Southwestern lost contact with the remaining 7 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 16 | 69.57% |
| Dropped Out | 7 | 30.43% |
1 Southwestern students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.25% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 0%, 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 0%.
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.
1 non first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Southwestern lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
