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Vanderbilt Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

86% 4-Year Graduation Rate
92% 6-Year Graduation Rate
96% Retention Rate

Vanderbilt University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How long does it take to earn a degree at Vanderbilt? 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.

Vanderbilt Retention Rate

96% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.

With 96% students making it past their freshmen year, Vanderbilt 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 Tennessee, the average is 71.48%.

Vanderbilt Retention  96 out of 100
0%
100%
Tennessee Retention  71 out of 100
0%
100%
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Retention Rate
Vanderbilt96%
Nationwide70.57%
Tennessee71.48%

Vanderbilt Graduation Rates

92% 6-Year Graduation Rate
6.43% Transfer Rate
1.61% Dropout Rate

How many of the estimated 1,649 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?

After four years 86% of the cohort graduated. After six years 92% had completed their degree, and 92% after eight years.

The official graduation rate of Vanderbilt is 92%. 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 Vanderbilt? The standard length of time for most students is 4.06 years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  86%
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  92%
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  92%
0%
100%

Vanderbilt Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years1,55586%
Six Years1,64992%
Eight Years40%
Did Not Complete1488%
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.
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Vanderbilt Drop Out Rate

Approximately 148 students or 8% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 148 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled10.7%
Transferred11678.4%
Dropped Out2919.6%

Vanderbilt Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native100%
Asian95%
Black / African-American86%
Hawaiian100%
Hispanic91%
International89%
Multi-Ethnic90%
Unknown100%
White94%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

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 Vanderbilt 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 Vanderbilt Graduation Rates

89% First-Time, Full-Time
92% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at Vanderbilt University represent 89% of the students in the class of 2015, and 88.78% of Vanderbilt bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 86%, first-time students in the Vanderbilt class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the Vanderbilt graduation rate was 92%, and by the eight year mark, 92% 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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  86 out of 100
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  92 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  92 out of 100
0%
100%

Vanderbilt First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsVanderbiltNationwide
Four Years86%37.92%
Six Years92%46.43%
Eight Years92%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time Vanderbilt Drop Out Rates

131 first-time / full-time students or 8% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled10.76%
Transferred10781.68%
Dropped Out2216.79%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

0% First-Time, Part-Time

First-time / part-time students at Vanderbilt University represent 0.06% of the students in the class of 2015.

First-Time / Part-Time Vanderbilt Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsVanderbiltNationwide
Four Years1%14.37%
Six Years1%21.59%
Eight Years1%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time Vanderbilt Drop Out Rates

1 first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred00.00%
Dropped Out1100.00%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

11% Returning, Full-Time
92% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

201 Vanderbilt students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.14% 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 92%, 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 92%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  92 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  92 out of 100
0%
100%

Vanderbilt Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsVanderbiltNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years92%53.83%
Eight Years92%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Vanderbilt Drop Out Rates

16 non first-time / part-time students or 8% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled16.25%
Transferred956.25%
Dropped Out637.50%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Vanderbilt returning, part-time students.

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