by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding UNO 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 67% students making it past their freshmen year, UNO has freshmen retention rates below the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Louisiana, the average is 67.86%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UNO | 67% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Louisiana | 67.86% |
Of the 868 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 30% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 42% of the students had graduated and after eight years 44% 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 UNO graduation rate 42%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 620 | 30% |
| Six Years | 868 | 42% |
| Eight Years | 33 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 1168 | 56% |
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 1168 students or 56% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1168 students who did not complete their degree?
11 are still enrolled.
595 transferred to another institution.
UNO lost contact with the remaining 527 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 11 | 0.9% |
| Transferred | 595 | 50.9% |
| Dropped Out | 527 | 45.1% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 62% |
| Black / African-American | 33% |
| Hispanic | 32% |
| International | 58% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 29% |
| Unknown | 60% |
| White | 46% |
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.
A meaningful share of students at UNO are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at University of New Orleans represent 43.26% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the UNO graduation rate was 38%, and by the eight year mark, 40% 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 | UNO | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 20% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 38% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 47.82% |
534 first-time / full-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
24 are still enrolled.
267 transferred to another institution.
UNO lost contact with the remaining 243 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 24 | 4.49% |
| Transferred | 267 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 243 | 45.51% |
First-time / part-time students at University of New Orleans represent 1.55% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the UNO graduation rate was 9%, and by the eight year mark, 9% 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 | UNO | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 9% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 9% | 23.72% |
29 first-time / part-time students or 91% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
UNO lost contact with the remaining 12 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 3.45% |
| Transferred | 16 | 55.17% |
| Dropped Out | 12 | 41.38% |
Returning / full-time students at University of New Orleans represent 40.41% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the UNO graduation rate was 54%, and by the eight year mark, 55% 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 | UNO | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 54% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 55% | 55.07% |
379 non first-time / part-time students or 45% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
11 are still enrolled.
189 transferred to another institution.
UNO lost contact with the remaining 179 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 11 | 2.90% |
| Transferred | 189 | 49.87% |
| Dropped Out | 179 | 47.23% |
Returning / part-time students at University of New Orleans represent 14.79% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the UNO graduation rate was 26%, and by the eight year mark, 26% 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 | UNO | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 18% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 26% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 26% | 37.80% |
226 non first-time / part-time students or 74% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
10 are still enrolled.
123 transferred to another institution.
UNO lost contact with the remaining 93 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 10 | 4.42% |
| Transferred | 123 | 54.42% |
| Dropped Out | 93 | 41.15% |
