by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding UCO 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 65% students making it past their freshmen year, UCO has freshmen retention rates below the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Oklahoma, the average is 65.20%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UCO | 65% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Oklahoma | 65.20% |
There were approximately 1900 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 27% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 40% of the students had graduated and after eight years 43% 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 UCO graduation rate 40%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1260 | 27% |
| Six Years | 1900 | 40% |
| Eight Years | 123 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 2672 | 57% |
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 2672 students or 57% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2672 students who did not complete their degree?
64 are still enrolled.
1515 transferred to another institution.
UCO lost contact with the remaining 1022 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 64 | 2.4% |
| Transferred | 1515 | 56.7% |
| Dropped Out | 1022 | 38.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 31% |
| Asian | 54% |
| Black / African-American | 28% |
| Hispanic | 38% |
| International | 27% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 32% |
| White | 41% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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 UCO 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 University of Central Oklahoma represent 50.38% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the UCO graduation rate was 34%, and by the eight year mark, 37% 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 | UCO | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 14% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 34% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 37% | 47.82% |
1489 first-time / full-time students or 63% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
78 are still enrolled.
867 transferred to another institution.
UCO lost contact with the remaining 544 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 78 | 5.24% |
| Transferred | 867 | 58.23% |
| Dropped Out | 544 | 36.53% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Central Oklahoma represent 3.38% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the UCO graduation rate was 16%, and by the eight year mark, 19% 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 | UCO | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 16% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 19% | 23.72% |
128 first-time / part-time students or 81% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
7 are still enrolled.
53 transferred to another institution.
UCO lost contact with the remaining 68 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 7 | 5.47% |
| Transferred | 53 | 41.41% |
| Dropped Out | 68 | 53.12% |
Returning / full-time students at University of Central Oklahoma represent 31.42% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the UCO graduation rate was 56%, and by the eight year mark, 57% 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 | UCO | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 56% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 57% | 55.07% |
629 non first-time / part-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
38 are still enrolled.
343 transferred to another institution.
UCO lost contact with the remaining 248 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 38 | 6.04% |
| Transferred | 343 | 54.53% |
| Dropped Out | 248 | 39.43% |
Returning / part-time students at University of Central Oklahoma represent 14.81% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the UCO graduation rate was 36%, and by the eight year mark, 39% 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 | UCO | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 29% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 36% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 39% | 37.80% |
426 non first-time / part-time students or 61% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
12 are still enrolled.
252 transferred to another institution.
UCO lost contact with the remaining 162 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 12 | 2.82% |
| Transferred | 252 | 59.15% |
| Dropped Out | 162 | 38.03% |
