by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many TCL first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore TCL retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 48% students making it past their freshmen year, TCL 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 South Carolina, the average is 65.91%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| TCL | 48% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Carolina | 65.91% |
There were approximately 195 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
16% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 17% in six years, and 18% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of TCL is 17%. 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.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 158 | 13% |
| Six Years | 195 | 17% |
| Eight Years | 16 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 968 | 82% |
Approximately 968 students or 82% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 968 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
404 transferred to another institution.
TCL lost contact with the remaining 546 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 404 | 41.7% |
| Dropped Out | 546 | 56.4% |
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 TCL 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 Technical College of the Lowcountry represent 24% of the students in the class of 2015, and 26.67% of TCL bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 16%, first-time students in the TCL class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the TCL graduation rate was 19%, and by the eight year mark, 20% 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 | TCL | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 16% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 19% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 20% | 47.82% |
224 first-time / full-time students or 80% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
95 transferred to another institution.
TCL lost contact with the remaining 127 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 95 | 42.41% |
| Dropped Out | 127 | 56.70% |
First-time / part-time students at Technical College of the Lowcountry represent 41.48% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 11%, first-time, part-time students in the TCL 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 | TCL | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 8% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 11% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 13% | 23.72% |
426 first-time / part-time students or 87% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
13 are still enrolled.
144 transferred to another institution.
TCL lost contact with the remaining 269 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 13 | 3.05% |
| Transferred | 144 | 33.80% |
| Dropped Out | 269 | 63.15% |
125 TCL students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 10.60% 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 29%, 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 29%.
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 | TCL | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 29% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 55.07% |
89 non first-time / part-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
48 transferred to another institution.
TCL lost contact with the remaining 40 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.12% |
| Transferred | 48 | 53.93% |
| Dropped Out | 40 | 44.94% |
284 TCL students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 24.09% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 19%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 19%.
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 | TCL | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 19% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 19% | 37.80% |
229 non first-time / part-time students or 81% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
117 transferred to another institution.
TCL lost contact with the remaining 110 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.87% |
| Transferred | 117 | 51.09% |
| Dropped Out | 110 | 48.03% |
