by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Tri-County Community College? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 62% students making it past their freshmen year, Tri-County Community College 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 North Carolina, the average is 66.53%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Tri-County Community College | 62% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| North Carolina | 66.53% |
Of the 98 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
15% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 24% in six years, and 26% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of Tri-County Community College is 24%. 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 | 83 | 21% |
| Six Years | 98 | 24% |
| Eight Years | 6 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 299 | 74% |
Approximately 299 students or 74% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 299 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
73 transferred to another institution.
Tri-County Community College lost contact with the remaining 222 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 73 | 24.4% |
| Dropped Out | 222 | 74.2% |
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 Tri-County Community College 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 Tri-County Community College represent 33% of the students in the class of 2015, and 26.53% of Tri-County Community College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 15%, first-time students in the Tri-County Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Tri-County Community College graduation rate was 19%, and by the eight year mark, 19% 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 | Tri-County Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 15% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 19% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 19% | 47.82% |
108 first-time / full-time students or 81% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
17 transferred to another institution.
Tri-County Community College lost contact with the remaining 90 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 17 | 15.74% |
| Dropped Out | 90 | 83.33% |
First-time / part-time students at Tri-County Community College represent 36.95% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 26%, first-time, part-time students in the Tri-County Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 28%.
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 | Tri-County Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 21% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 26% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 28% | 23.72% |
107 first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
24 transferred to another institution.
Tri-County Community College lost contact with the remaining 81 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.87% |
| Transferred | 24 | 22.43% |
| Dropped Out | 81 | 75.70% |
64 Tri-County Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.76% 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 23%, 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 25%.
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 | Tri-County Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 23% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 55.07% |
48 non first-time / part-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
12 transferred to another institution.
Tri-County Community College lost contact with the remaining 36 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 12 | 25.00% |
| Dropped Out | 36 | 75.00% |
57 Tri-County Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.04% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 32%, 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 36%.
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 | Tri-County Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 32% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 37.80% |
36 non first-time / part-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
20 transferred to another institution.
Tri-County Community College lost contact with the remaining 15 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.78% |
| Transferred | 20 | 55.56% |
| Dropped Out | 15 | 41.67% |
