by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to UNK after their first year? Are UNK students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
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, UNK 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 Nebraska, the average is 73.00%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UNK | 81% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Nebraska | 73.00% |
How many of the estimated 960 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 27% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 58% of the students had graduated and after eight years 60% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of UNK is 58%. 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.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at UNK? The standard length of time for most students is 4.58 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 537 | 32% |
| Six Years | 960 | 58% |
| Eight Years | 39 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 668 | 40% |
Approximately 668 students or 40% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 668 students who did not complete their degree?
9 are still enrolled.
458 transferred to another institution.
UNK lost contact with the remaining 197 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 1.3% |
| Transferred | 458 | 68.6% |
| Dropped Out | 197 | 29.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 22% |
| Hispanic | 56% |
| International | 57% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 46% |
| Unknown | 50% |
| White | 61% |
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 UNK 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 Nebraska at Kearney represent 67% of the students in the class of 2015, and 68.75% of UNK bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 27%, first-time students in the UNK class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UNK graduation rate was 59%, and by the eight year mark, 62% 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 | UNK | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 27% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 59% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 47.82% |
428 first-time / full-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
9 are still enrolled.
299 transferred to another institution.
UNK lost contact with the remaining 122 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 2.10% |
| Transferred | 299 | 69.86% |
| Dropped Out | 122 | 28.50% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Nebraska at Kearney represent 1.02% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 6%, first-time, part-time students in the UNK class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 6%.
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 | UNK | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 6% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 6% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 6% | 23.72% |
16 first-time / part-time students or 94% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
10 transferred to another institution.
UNK lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 31.25% |
| Transferred | 10 | 62.50% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 6.25% |
460 UNK students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 27.53% 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 61%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 63%.
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 | UNK | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 61% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 55.07% |
171 non first-time / part-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
115 transferred to another institution.
UNK lost contact with the remaining 56 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 115 | 67.25% |
| Dropped Out | 56 | 32.75% |
74 UNK students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 4.43% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 27%, 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 28%.
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 | UNK | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 27% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 28% | 37.80% |
53 non first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
34 transferred to another institution.
UNK lost contact with the remaining 18 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.89% |
| Transferred | 34 | 64.15% |
| Dropped Out | 18 | 33.96% |
