by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding TU 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 59% students making it past their freshmen year, TU 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 Georgia, the average is 65.40%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| TU | 59% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Georgia | 65.40% |
Of the 129 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 16% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 44% of the students had graduated and after eight years 52% 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 TU graduation rate 44%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at TU? The standard length of time for most students is 5.42 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 95 | 33% |
| Six Years | 129 | 44% |
| Eight Years | 22 | 8% |
| Did Not Complete | 139 | 48% |
Approximately 139 students or 48% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 139 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
44 transferred to another institution.
TU lost contact with the remaining 95 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 44 | 31.7% |
| Dropped Out | 95 | 68.3% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Black / African-American | 25% |
| Hispanic | 29% |
| International | 67% |
| Unknown | 42% |
| White | 52% |
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 TU 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 Thomas University represent 35% of the students in the class of 2015, and 38.76% of TU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 16%, first-time students in the TU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the TU graduation rate was 49%, and by the eight year mark, 57% 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 | TU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 16% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 49% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 57% | 47.82% |
44 first-time / full-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
6 transferred to another institution.
TU lost contact with the remaining 38 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 6 | 13.64% |
| Dropped Out | 38 | 86.36% |
First-time / part-time students at Thomas University represent 5.52% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 94%, first-time, part-time students in the TU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 94%.
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 | TU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 94% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 94% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 94% | 23.72% |
1 first-time / part-time students or 6% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
TU lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
65 TU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 22.41% 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 34%, 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 43%.
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 | TU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 34% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 55.07% |
37 non first-time / part-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
25 transferred to another institution.
TU lost contact with the remaining 12 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 25 | 67.57% |
| Dropped Out | 12 | 32.43% |
107 TU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 36.90% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 39%, 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 47%.
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 | TU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 39% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 47% | 37.80% |
57 non first-time / part-time students or 53% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
12 transferred to another institution.
TU lost contact with the remaining 45 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 12 | 21.05% |
| Dropped Out | 45 | 78.95% |
