by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Sterling after their first year? Are Sterling 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 71% students making it past their freshmen year, Sterling 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 Vermont, the average is 76.86%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Sterling | 71% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Vermont | 76.86% |
How many of the estimated 25 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
After four years 29% of the cohort graduated. After six years 51% had completed their degree, and 55% after eight years.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical Sterling graduation rate 51%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Sterling? The standard length of time for most students is 4.00 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 22 | 45% |
| Six Years | 25 | 51% |
| Eight Years | 2 | 4% |
| Did Not Complete | 22 | 45% |
Approximately 22 students or 45% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 22 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
Sterling lost contact with the remaining 19 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 3 | 13.6% |
| Dropped Out | 19 | 86.4% |
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 Sterling are considered 'non-traditional students' who either not first-time, or not full-time, or both.
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 Sterling College represent 43% of the students in the class of 2015, and 32.00% of Sterling bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 29%, first-time students in the Sterling class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Sterling graduation rate was 38%, and by the eight year mark, 48% 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 | Sterling | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 29% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 38% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 47.82% |
11 first-time / full-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
Sterling lost contact with the remaining 9 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 18.18% |
| Dropped Out | 9 | 81.82% |
First-time / part-time students at Sterling College represent 2.04% of the students in the class of 2015.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | Sterling | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 1% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 1% | 23.72% |
1 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.
0 transferred to another institution.
Sterling lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 100.00% |
27 Sterling students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 55.10% 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 63%, 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 63%.
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 | Sterling | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 63% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 55.07% |
10 non first-time / part-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Sterling lost contact with the remaining 9 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 10.00% |
| Dropped Out | 9 | 90.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Sterling returning, part-time students.
