by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding STCC retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 59% students making it past their freshmen year, STCC 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| STCC | 59% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
There were approximately 735 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 29% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 30% of the students had graduated and after eight years 33% of this class completed their degree.
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 STCC graduation rate 30%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 596 | 25% |
| Six Years | 735 | 30% |
| Eight Years | 53 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,625 | 67% |
Approximately 1625 students or 67% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1625 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
519 transferred to another institution.
STCC lost contact with the remaining 1050 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 519 | 31.9% |
| Dropped Out | 1,050 | 64.6% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
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 STCC are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at Springfield Technical Community College represent 40% of the students in the class of 2015, and 46.67% of STCC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 29%, first-time students in the STCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the STCC graduation rate was 36%, and by the eight year mark, 38% 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 | STCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 29% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 36% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 47.82% |
591 first-time / full-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
194 transferred to another institution.
STCC lost contact with the remaining 370 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 194 | 32.83% |
| Dropped Out | 370 | 62.61% |
First-time / part-time students at Springfield Technical Community College represent 28.43% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 11%, first-time, part-time students in the STCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 13%.
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 | STCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 7% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 11% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 13% | 23.72% |
597 first-time / part-time students or 87% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
11 are still enrolled.
122 transferred to another institution.
STCC lost contact with the remaining 464 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 11 | 1.84% |
| Transferred | 122 | 20.44% |
| Dropped Out | 464 | 77.72% |
335 STCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 13.88% 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 50%, 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 52%.
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 | STCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 50% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 55.07% |
162 non first-time / part-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
8 are still enrolled.
89 transferred to another institution.
STCC lost contact with the remaining 65 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 4.94% |
| Transferred | 89 | 54.94% |
| Dropped Out | 65 | 40.12% |
433 STCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 17.94% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 35%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 36%.
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 | STCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 35% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 37.80% |
275 non first-time / part-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
10 are still enrolled.
114 transferred to another institution.
STCC lost contact with the remaining 151 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 10 | 3.64% |
| Transferred | 114 | 41.45% |
| Dropped Out | 151 | 54.91% |
