by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Tacoma Community 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Washington, the average is 73.95%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Tacoma Community College | |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Washington | 73.95% |
Of the 3,854 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
26% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 38% in six years, and 39% in 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 Tacoma Community College graduation rate 38%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3,616 | 36% |
| Six Years | 3,854 | 38% |
| Eight Years | 89 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 6,114 | 61% |
Approximately 6114 students or 61% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 6114 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
3064 transferred to another institution.
Tacoma Community College lost contact with the remaining 2967 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 3064 | 50.1% |
| Dropped Out | 2,967 | 48.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 50% |
| Asian | 34% |
| Black / African-American | 14% |
| Hispanic | 18% |
| International | 45% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 16% |
| Unknown | 43% |
| White | 26% |
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 Tacoma Community College 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 Tacoma Community College represent 19% of the students in the class of 2015, and 13.83% of Tacoma Community College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 26%, first-time students in the Tacoma Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Tacoma Community College graduation rate was 29%, and by the eight year mark, 29% 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 | Tacoma Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 26% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 29% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 47.82% |
1320 first-time / full-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
625 transferred to another institution.
Tacoma Community College lost contact with the remaining 683 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 625 | 47.35% |
| Dropped Out | 683 | 51.74% |
First-time / part-time students at Tacoma Community College represent 13.82% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 21%, first-time, part-time students in the Tacoma Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 22%.
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 | Tacoma Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 19% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 21% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 23.72% |
1085 first-time / part-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
16 are still enrolled.
620 transferred to another institution.
Tacoma Community College lost contact with the remaining 449 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 16 | 1.47% |
| Transferred | 620 | 57.14% |
| Dropped Out | 449 | 41.38% |
2504 Tacoma Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 24.90% 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 47%, 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 48%.
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 | Tacoma Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 47% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 55.07% |
1295 non first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
19 are still enrolled.
606 transferred to another institution.
Tacoma Community College lost contact with the remaining 670 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 19 | 1.47% |
| Transferred | 606 | 46.80% |
| Dropped Out | 670 | 51.74% |
4295 Tacoma Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 42.71% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 43%, 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 44%.
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 | Tacoma Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 43% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 44% | 37.80% |
2414 non first-time / part-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
36 are still enrolled.
1213 transferred to another institution.
Tacoma Community College lost contact with the remaining 1165 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 36 | 1.49% |
| Transferred | 1213 | 50.25% |
| Dropped Out | 1,165 | 48.26% |
