by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at UMES? 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 73% students making it past their freshmen year, UMES 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 Maryland, the average is 71.84%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UMES | 73% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Maryland | 71.84% |
Of the 454 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 19% of those students had graduated. By 2017, 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 UMES graduation rate 40%.
The typical UMES student takes 4.58 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 268 | 24% |
| Six Years | 454 | 40% |
| Eight Years | 28 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 643 | 57% |
Approximately 643 students or 57% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 643 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
255 transferred to another institution.
UMES lost contact with the remaining 379 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.2% |
| Transferred | 255 | 39.7% |
| Dropped Out | 379 | 58.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 67% |
| Black / African-American | 40% |
| Hispanic | 33% |
| International | 40% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 38% |
| Unknown | 25% |
| White | 63% |
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 UMES 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 Maryland Eastern Shore represent 73% of the students in the class of 2015, and 66.74% of UMES bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 19%, first-time students in the UMES class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UMES graduation rate was 37%, and by the eight year mark, 40% 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 | UMES | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 19% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 37% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 47.82% |
496 first-time / full-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
185 transferred to another institution.
UMES lost contact with the remaining 306 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.20% |
| Transferred | 185 | 37.30% |
| Dropped Out | 306 | 61.69% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Maryland Eastern Shore represent 1.07% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 25%, first-time, part-time students in the UMES class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 25%.
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 | UMES | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 25% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 23.72% |
9 first-time / part-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
UMES lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 11.11% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 88.89% |
240 UMES students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 21.33% 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 51%, 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 52%.
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 | UMES | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 51% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 55.07% |
116 non first-time / part-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
56 transferred to another institution.
UMES lost contact with the remaining 57 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 2.59% |
| Transferred | 56 | 48.28% |
| Dropped Out | 57 | 49.14% |
49 UMES students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 4.36% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 51%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 55%.
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 | UMES | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 51% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 55% | 37.80% |
22 non first-time / part-time students or 45% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
14 transferred to another institution.
UMES lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 14 | 63.64% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 36.36% |
