by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding U of I 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 76% students making it past their freshmen year, U of I 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 Idaho, the average is 77.33%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| U of I | 76% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Idaho | 77.33% |
There were approximately 1523 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 50% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 61% of the students had graduated and after eight years 62% 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 U of I graduation rate 61%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1243 | 50% |
| Six Years | 1523 | 61% |
| Eight Years | 27 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 950 | 38% |
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 950 students or 38% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 950 students who did not complete their degree?
10 are still enrolled.
527 transferred to another institution.
U of I lost contact with the remaining 407 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 10 | 1.1% |
| Transferred | 527 | 55.5% |
| Dropped Out | 407 | 42.8% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 33% |
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 53% |
| Hawaiian | 43% |
| Hispanic | 54% |
| International | 44% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 65% |
| Unknown | 51% |
| White | 64% |
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 U of I 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 Idaho represent 67.47% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the U of I graduation rate was 61%, and by the eight year mark, 62% 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 | U of I | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 47% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 61% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 47.82% |
644 first-time / full-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
12 are still enrolled.
347 transferred to another institution.
U of I lost contact with the remaining 285 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 12 | 1.86% |
| Transferred | 347 | 53.88% |
| Dropped Out | 285 | 44.25% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Idaho represent 1.28% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the U of I graduation rate was 19%, 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 | U of I | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 19% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 19% | 23.72% |
26 first-time / part-time students or 81% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
9 transferred to another institution.
U of I lost contact with the remaining 16 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 3.85% |
| Transferred | 9 | 34.62% |
| Dropped Out | 16 | 61.54% |
Returning / full-time students at University of Idaho represent 26.31% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the U of I graduation rate was 67%, and by the eight year mark, 68% 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 | U of I | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 67% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 68% | 55.07% |
211 non first-time / part-time students or 32% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
119 transferred to another institution.
U of I lost contact with the remaining 92 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 119 | 56.40% |
| Dropped Out | 92 | 43.60% |
Returning / part-time students at University of Idaho represent 4.95% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the U of I graduation rate was 42%, and by the eight year mark, 44% 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 | U of I | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 37% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 42% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 44% | 37.80% |
69 non first-time / part-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
52 transferred to another institution.
U of I lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 4.35% |
| Transferred | 52 | 75.36% |
| Dropped Out | 14 | 20.29% |
