by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to SUNY Cortland after their first year? Are SUNY Cortland 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 85% students making it past their freshmen year, SUNY Cortland 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 | |
|---|---|
| SUNY Cortland | 85% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
Of the 1,575 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
54% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 74% in six years, and 75% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of SUNY Cortland is 74%. 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.
The average length of time it takes an SUNY Cortland undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.25 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,344 | 63% |
| Six Years | 1,575 | 74% |
| Eight Years | 5 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 537 | 25% |
Approximately 537 students or 25% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 537 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
446 transferred to another institution.
SUNY Cortland lost contact with the remaining 91 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.2% |
| Transferred | 446 | 83.1% |
| Dropped Out | 91 | 16.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 58% |
| Black / African-American | 69% |
| Hispanic | 57% |
| International | 33% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 50% |
| Unknown | 75% |
| White | 70% |
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 SUNY Cortland 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 SUNY Cortland represent 57% of the students in the class of 2015, and 54.29% of SUNY Cortland bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 54%, first-time students in the SUNY Cortland class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the SUNY Cortland graduation rate was 71%, and by the eight year mark, 71% 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 | SUNY Cortland | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 54% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 71% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 71% | 47.82% |
349 first-time / full-time students or 29% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
316 transferred to another institution.
SUNY Cortland lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.29% |
| Transferred | 316 | 90.54% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 9.46% |
First-time / part-time students at SUNY Cortland represent 0.05% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 100%, first-time, part-time students in the SUNY Cortland class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 100%.
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 | SUNY Cortland | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 100% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 100% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 23.72% |
864 SUNY Cortland students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 40.81% 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 79%, 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 79%.
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 | SUNY Cortland | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 79% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 79% | 55.07% |
182 non first-time / part-time students or 21% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
127 transferred to another institution.
SUNY Cortland lost contact with the remaining 55 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 127 | 69.78% |
| Dropped Out | 55 | 30.22% |
45 SUNY Cortland students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 2.13% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 87%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 87%.
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 | SUNY Cortland | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 87% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 87% | 37.80% |
6 non first-time / part-time students or 13% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
SUNY Cortland lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 50.00% |
