by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at UAF? 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 78% students making it past their freshmen year, UAF 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 Alaska, the average is 68.50%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UAF | 78% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Alaska | 68.50% |
There were approximately 649 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
After four years 21% of the cohort graduated. After six years 31% had completed their degree, and 34% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of UAF is 31%. 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.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at UAF? The standard length of time for most students is 4.52 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 449 | 21% |
| Six Years | 649 | 31% |
| Eight Years | 76 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,378 | 66% |
Approximately 1378 students or 66% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1378 students who did not complete their degree?
10 are still enrolled.
577 transferred to another institution.
UAF lost contact with the remaining 782 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 10 | 0.7% |
| Transferred | 577 | 41.9% |
| Dropped Out | 782 | 56.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 19% |
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 13% |
| Hawaiian | 33% |
| Hispanic | 43% |
| International | 57% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 47% |
| Unknown | 35% |
| White | 46% |
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 UAF 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 University of Alaska Fairbanks represent 44% of the students in the class of 2015, and 48.84% of UAF bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 21%, first-time students in the UAF class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UAF graduation rate was 34%, and by the eight year mark, 39% 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 | UAF | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 21% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 34% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 39% | 47.82% |
575 first-time / full-time students or 61% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
10 are still enrolled.
241 transferred to another institution.
UAF lost contact with the remaining 327 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 10 | 1.74% |
| Transferred | 241 | 41.91% |
| Dropped Out | 327 | 56.87% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Alaska Fairbanks represent 17.17% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 15%, first-time, part-time students in the UAF class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 16%.
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 | UAF | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 10% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 15% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 16% | 23.72% |
303 first-time / part-time students or 84% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
74 transferred to another institution.
UAF lost contact with the remaining 224 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 1.65% |
| Transferred | 74 | 24.42% |
| Dropped Out | 224 | 73.93% |
471 UAF students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 22.40% 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 45%, 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 49%.
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 | UAF | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 45% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 49% | 55.07% |
239 non first-time / part-time students or 51% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
127 transferred to another institution.
UAF lost contact with the remaining 111 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.42% |
| Transferred | 127 | 53.14% |
| Dropped Out | 111 | 46.44% |
336 UAF students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.98% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 20%, 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 22%.
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 | UAF | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 20% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 37.80% |
261 non first-time / part-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
135 transferred to another institution.
UAF lost contact with the remaining 120 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 2.30% |
| Transferred | 135 | 51.72% |
| Dropped Out | 120 | 45.98% |
