by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Towson 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 83% students making it past their freshmen year, Towson 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 Maryland, the average is 71.84%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Towson | 83% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Maryland | 71.84% |
Of the 4499 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 57% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 72% of the students had graduated and after eight years 73% 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 Towson graduation rate 72%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3611 | 57% |
| Six Years | 4499 | 72% |
| Eight Years | 88 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 1700 | 27% |
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 1700 students or 27% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1700 students who did not complete their degree?
13 are still enrolled.
1082 transferred to another institution.
Towson lost contact with the remaining 580 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 13 | 0.8% |
| Transferred | 1082 | 63.6% |
| Dropped Out | 580 | 34.1% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 40% |
| Asian | 64% |
| Black / African-American | 69% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 64% |
| International | 31% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 66% |
| Unknown | 65% |
| White | 69% |
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.
A meaningful share of students at Towson are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Towson University represent 44.30% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Towson graduation rate was 69%, and by the eight year mark, 71% 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 | Towson | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 47% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 69% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 71% | 47.82% |
804 first-time / full-time students or 29% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
15 are still enrolled.
584 transferred to another institution.
Towson lost contact with the remaining 205 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 15 | 1.87% |
| Transferred | 584 | 72.64% |
| Dropped Out | 205 | 25.50% |
First-time / part-time students at Towson University represent 0.14% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Towson graduation rate was 22%, and by the eight year mark, 33% 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 | Towson | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 11% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 22% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 23.72% |
6 first-time / part-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
Towson lost contact with the remaining 2 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 4 | 66.67% |
| Dropped Out | 2 | 33.33% |
Returning / full-time students at Towson University represent 47.02% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Towson graduation rate was 76%, and by the eight year mark, 77% 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 | Towson | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 76% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 77% | 55.07% |
678 non first-time / part-time students or 23% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
16 are still enrolled.
381 transferred to another institution.
Towson lost contact with the remaining 281 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 16 | 2.36% |
| Transferred | 381 | 56.19% |
| Dropped Out | 281 | 41.45% |
Returning / part-time students at Towson University represent 8.54% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Towson graduation rate was 59%, and by the eight year mark, 61% 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 | Towson | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 50% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 59% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 37.80% |
212 non first-time / part-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
7 are still enrolled.
113 transferred to another institution.
Towson lost contact with the remaining 92 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 7 | 3.30% |
| Transferred | 113 | 53.30% |
| Dropped Out | 92 | 43.40% |
