by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at UNM? 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 77% students making it past their freshmen year, UNM 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 New Mexico, the average is 62.90%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UNM | 77% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New Mexico | 62.90% |
Of the 2,711 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, 47% of the students had graduated and after eight years 51% of this class completed their degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official UNM graduation rate 47%.
The average length of time it takes an UNM undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.55 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,501 | 26% |
| Six Years | 2,711 | 47% |
| Eight Years | 253 | 4% |
| Did Not Complete | 2,826 | 49% |
Approximately 2826 students or 49% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2826 students who did not complete their degree?
84 are still enrolled.
1607 transferred to another institution.
UNM lost contact with the remaining 1122 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 84 | 3.0% |
| Transferred | 1607 | 56.9% |
| Dropped Out | 1,122 | 39.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 29% |
| Asian | 72% |
| Black / African-American | 42% |
| Hawaiian | 40% |
| Hispanic | 52% |
| International | 56% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 53% |
| Unknown | 31% |
| White | 58% |
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 UNM 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 New Mexico - Main Campus represent 57% of the students in the class of 2015, and 58.95% of UNM bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 19%, first-time students in the UNM class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UNM graduation rate was 48%, and by the eight year mark, 54% 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 | UNM | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 19% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 48% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 54% | 47.82% |
1535 first-time / full-time students or 46% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
84 are still enrolled.
911 transferred to another institution.
UNM lost contact with the remaining 562 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 84 | 5.47% |
| Transferred | 911 | 59.35% |
| Dropped Out | 562 | 36.61% |
First-time / part-time students at University of New Mexico - Main Campus represent 3.36% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 9%, first-time, part-time students in the UNM class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 11%.
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 | UNM | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 9% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 11% | 23.72% |
172 first-time / part-time students or 89% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
87 transferred to another institution.
UNM lost contact with the remaining 85 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 87 | 50.58% |
| Dropped Out | 85 | 49.42% |
1345 UNM students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 23.18% 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 52%, 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 55%.
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 | UNM | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 52% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 55% | 55.07% |
599 non first-time / part-time students or 45% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
18 are still enrolled.
320 transferred to another institution.
UNM lost contact with the remaining 261 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 18 | 3.01% |
| Transferred | 320 | 53.42% |
| Dropped Out | 261 | 43.57% |
946 UNM students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.30% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 42%, 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 45%.
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 | UNM | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 42% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 45% | 37.80% |
520 non first-time / part-time students or 55% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
17 are still enrolled.
289 transferred to another institution.
UNM lost contact with the remaining 214 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 17 | 3.27% |
| Transferred | 289 | 55.58% |
| Dropped Out | 214 | 41.15% |
