by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at UC? 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 67% students making it past their freshmen year, UC 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 West Virginia, the average is 70.53%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UC | 67% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| West Virginia | 70.53% |
Of the 156 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
After four years 35% of the cohort graduated. After six years 42% had completed their degree, and 44% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of UC is 42%. 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.
The typical UC student takes 4.36 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 115 | 31% |
| Six Years | 156 | 42% |
| Eight Years | 5 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 208 | 56% |
Approximately 208 students or 56% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 208 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
116 transferred to another institution.
UC lost contact with the remaining 89 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 116 | 55.8% |
| Dropped Out | 89 | 42.8% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 20% |
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 38% |
| Hispanic | 40% |
| International | 64% |
| Unknown | 36% |
| White | 47% |
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 UC 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 Charleston represent 67% of the students in the class of 2015, and 78.21% of UC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 35%, first-time students in the UC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UC graduation rate was 49%, and by the eight year mark, 50% 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 | UC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 35% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 49% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 47.82% |
124 first-time / full-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
84 transferred to another institution.
UC lost contact with the remaining 37 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 84 | 67.74% |
| Dropped Out | 37 | 29.84% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on UC first-time, part-time students.
115 UC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 31.17% 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 30%, 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 31%.
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 | UC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 30% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 31% | 55.07% |
79 non first-time / part-time students or 69% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
32 transferred to another institution.
UC lost contact with the remaining 47 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 32 | 40.51% |
| Dropped Out | 47 | 59.49% |
5 UC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 1.36% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 0%, 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 0%.
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.
5 non first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
UC lost contact with the remaining 5 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 5 | 100.00% |
