by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding UMGC 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 55% students making it past their freshmen year, UMGC 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 Maryland, the average is 71.84%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UMGC | 55% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Maryland | 71.84% |
Of the 2,843 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 3% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 24% of the students had graduated and after eight years 27% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of UMGC is 24%. 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 average length of time it takes an UMGC undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 5.00 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2,185 | 19% |
| Six Years | 2,843 | 24% |
| Eight Years | 344 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 8,541 | 73% |
Approximately 8541 students or 73% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 8541 students who did not complete their degree?
6 are still enrolled.
3821 transferred to another institution.
UMGC lost contact with the remaining 4396 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 0.1% |
| Transferred | 3821 | 44.7% |
| Dropped Out | 4,396 | 51.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 10% |
| Black / African-American | 7% |
| Hispanic | 16% |
| International | 33% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 10% |
| Unknown | 22% |
| White | 30% |
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 UMGC 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 Global Campus represent 2% of the students in the class of 2015, and 0.53% of UMGC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 3%, first-time students in the UMGC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UMGC graduation rate was 7%, and by the eight year mark, 8% 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 | UMGC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 7% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 8% | 47.82% |
204 first-time / full-time students or 92% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
105 transferred to another institution.
UMGC lost contact with the remaining 93 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 2.94% |
| Transferred | 105 | 51.47% |
| Dropped Out | 93 | 45.59% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Maryland Global Campus represent 19.42% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 1%, first-time, part-time students in the UMGC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 2%.
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 | UMGC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 1% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 2% | 23.72% |
2230 first-time / part-time students or 98% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
30 are still enrolled.
761 transferred to another institution.
UMGC lost contact with the remaining 1439 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 30 | 1.35% |
| Transferred | 761 | 34.13% |
| Dropped Out | 1,439 | 64.53% |
1923 UMGC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.40% 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 49%, 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 51%.
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 | UMGC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 49% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 51% | 55.07% |
940 non first-time / part-time students or 49% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
43 are still enrolled.
471 transferred to another institution.
UMGC lost contact with the remaining 426 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 43 | 4.57% |
| Transferred | 471 | 50.11% |
| Dropped Out | 426 | 45.32% |
7305 UMGC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 62.29% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 25%, 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 29%.
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 | UMGC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 25% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 37.80% |
5167 non first-time / part-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
245 are still enrolled.
2484 transferred to another institution.
UMGC lost contact with the remaining 2438 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 245 | 4.74% |
| Transferred | 2484 | 48.07% |
| Dropped Out | 2,438 | 47.18% |
