by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Purchase College 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 80% students making it past their freshmen year, Purchase College 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 New York, the average is 73.51%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Purchase College | 80% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
There were approximately 887 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 61% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 68% of the students had graduated and after eight years 69% of this class completed their degree.
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 Purchase College graduation rate 68%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 802 | 61% |
| Six Years | 887 | 68% |
| Eight Years | 10 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 411 | 31% |
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
Approximately 411 students or 31% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 411 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
266 transferred to another institution.
Purchase College lost contact with the remaining 141 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.2% |
| Transferred | 266 | 64.7% |
| Dropped Out | 141 | 34.3% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 64% |
| Black / African-American | 57% |
| Hawaiian | 33% |
| Hispanic | 54% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 56% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 67% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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 Purchase College are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at SUNY at Purchase College represent 56.04% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Purchase College graduation rate was 67%, and by the eight year mark, 67% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | Purchase College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 57% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 67% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 47.82% |
239 first-time / full-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
166 transferred to another institution.
Purchase College lost contact with the remaining 72 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.42% |
| Transferred | 166 | 69.46% |
| Dropped Out | 72 | 30.13% |
First-time / part-time students at SUNY at Purchase College represent 0.31% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Purchase College graduation rate was 0%, and by the eight year mark, 50% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | Purchase College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 0% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 23.72% |
2 first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Purchase College lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 50.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
Returning / full-time students at SUNY at Purchase College represent 38.76% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Purchase College graduation rate was 73%, and by the eight year mark, 73% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Completions | Purchase College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 73% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 73% | 55.07% |
137 non first-time / part-time students or 27% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
79 transferred to another institution.
Purchase College lost contact with the remaining 56 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.46% |
| Transferred | 79 | 57.66% |
| Dropped Out | 56 | 40.88% |
Returning / part-time students at SUNY at Purchase College represent 4.89% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Purchase College graduation rate was 47%, and by the eight year mark, 48% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 30.46% after four years, 36.03% after six years, and 37.80% after eight years.
| Completions | Purchase College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 42% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 47% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 37.80% |
33 non first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
20 transferred to another institution.
Purchase College lost contact with the remaining 13 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 20 | 60.61% |
| Dropped Out | 13 | 39.39% |
