by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Vanguard first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore Vanguard retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 75% students making it past their freshmen year, Vanguard 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 California, the average is 73.07%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Vanguard | 75% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
How many of the estimated 524 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 57% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 64% of the students had graduated and after eight years 66% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of Vanguard is 64%. 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.
The average length of time it takes an Vanguard undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.15 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 498 | 61% |
| Six Years | 524 | 64% |
| Eight Years | 15 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 283 | 34% |
Approximately 283 students or 34% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 283 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
207 transferred to another institution.
Vanguard lost contact with the remaining 75 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 207 | 73.1% |
| Dropped Out | 75 | 26.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 80% |
| Black / African-American | 53% |
| Hawaiian | 50% |
| Hispanic | 61% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 74% |
| Unknown | 25% |
| White | 64% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
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 Vanguard are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
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 Vanguard University of Southern California represent 50% of the students in the class of 2015, and 48.85% of Vanguard bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 57%, first-time students in the Vanguard class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Vanguard graduation rate was 62%, and by the eight year mark, 63% 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 | Vanguard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 57% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 62% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 47.82% |
154 first-time / full-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
123 transferred to another institution.
Vanguard lost contact with the remaining 30 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 123 | 79.87% |
| Dropped Out | 30 | 19.48% |
First-time / part-time students at Vanguard University of Southern California represent 1.09% of the students in the class of 2015.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | Vanguard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 1% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 11% | 23.72% |
8 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.
4 transferred to another institution.
Vanguard lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 4 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 50.00% |
193 Vanguard students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 23.48% 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 73%, 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 73%.
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 | Vanguard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 73% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 73% | 55.07% |
52 non first-time / part-time students or 27% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
44 transferred to another institution.
Vanguard lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 44 | 84.62% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 15.38% |
205 Vanguard students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 24.94% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 62%, 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 66%.
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 | Vanguard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 62% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 66% | 37.80% |
69 non first-time / part-time students or 34% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
36 transferred to another institution.
Vanguard lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 36 | 52.17% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 47.83% |
