by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding USCGA 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 100% students making it past their freshmen year, USCGA 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 Connecticut, the average is 72.64%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| USCGA | 100% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Connecticut | 72.64% |
Of the 224 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 78% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 81% of the students had graduated and after eight years 81% of this class completed their degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official USCGA graduation rate 81%.
The average length of time it takes an USCGA undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.00 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 216 | 78% |
| Six Years | 224 | 81% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 53 | 19% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 68% |
| Black / African-American | 64% |
| Hispanic | 86% |
| International | 100% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 82% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 91% |
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 USCGA 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 United States Coast Guard Academy represent 100% of the students in the class of 2015, and 100.00% of USCGA bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 78%, first-time students in the USCGA class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the USCGA graduation rate was 81%, and by the eight year mark, 81% 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 | USCGA | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 78% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 81% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 81% | 47.82% |
53 first-time / full-time students or 19% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
USCGA lost contact with the remaining 53 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 53 | 100.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on USCGA first-time, part-time students.
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on USCGA returning, part-time students.
Image Credit: By USCG Public Affairs photograph of United States Coast Guard under License
