by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding UMN Duluth 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 81% students making it past their freshmen year, UMN Duluth 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 Minnesota, the average is 67.05%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UMN Duluth | 81% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Minnesota | 67.05% |
Of the 1752 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 46% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 63% of the students had graduated and after eight years 64% 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 UMN Duluth graduation rate 63%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1296 | 46% |
| Six Years | 1752 | 63% |
| Eight Years | 32 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 1010 | 36% |
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 1010 students or 36% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1010 students who did not complete their degree?
2 are still enrolled.
739 transferred to another institution.
UMN Duluth lost contact with the remaining 267 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.2% |
| Transferred | 739 | 73.2% |
| Dropped Out | 267 | 26.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 44% |
| Asian | 47% |
| Black / African-American | 47% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 62% |
| International | 62% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 61% |
| Unknown | 50% |
| White | 66% |
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 UMN Duluth are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at University of Minnesota-Duluth represent 76.17% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the UMN Duluth graduation rate was 62%, and by the eight year mark, 64% 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 | UMN Duluth | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 43% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 62% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 64% | 47.82% |
775 first-time / full-time students or 36% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
582 transferred to another institution.
UMN Duluth lost contact with the remaining 191 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.26% |
| Transferred | 582 | 75.10% |
| Dropped Out | 191 | 24.65% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Minnesota-Duluth represent 0.79% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the UMN Duluth graduation rate was 27%, and by the eight year mark, 27% 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 | UMN Duluth | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 27% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 27% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 27% | 23.72% |
16 first-time / part-time students or 73% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
10 transferred to another institution.
UMN Duluth lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 10 | 62.50% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 37.50% |
Returning / full-time students at University of Minnesota-Duluth represent 21.54% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the UMN Duluth 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 | UMN Duluth | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 67% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 68% | 55.07% |
195 non first-time / part-time students or 32% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
129 transferred to another institution.
UMN Duluth lost contact with the remaining 64 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.03% |
| Transferred | 129 | 66.15% |
| Dropped Out | 64 | 32.82% |
Returning / part-time students at University of Minnesota-Duluth represent 1.50% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the UMN Duluth graduation rate was 40%, and by the eight year mark, 43% 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 | UMN Duluth | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 33% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 40% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 37.80% |
24 non first-time / part-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
18 transferred to another institution.
UMN Duluth lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 18 | 75.00% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 25.00% |
