by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Vanguard first-year students return for their second year, and how many go on to graduate? Retention and graduation rates help you understand how students progress at Vanguard. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 70% students making it past their freshmen year, Vanguard has freshmen retention rates near 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 | 70% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
There were approximately 418 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 56% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 61% of the students had graduated and after eight years 62% 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 Vanguard graduation rate 61%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 384 | 56% |
| Six Years | 418 | 61% |
| Eight Years | 7 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 260 | 38% |
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 260 students or 38% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 260 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
189 transferred to another institution.
Vanguard lost contact with the remaining 70 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 189 | 72.7% |
| Dropped Out | 70 | 26.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 78% |
| Black / African-American | 30% |
| Hawaiian | 83% |
| Hispanic | 52% |
| International | 60% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 43% |
| Unknown | 48% |
| White | 65% |
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.
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 61.46% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Vanguard graduation rate was 59%, and by the eight year mark, 60% 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 | Vanguard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 53% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 59% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 60% | 47.82% |
169 first-time / full-time students or 40% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
136 transferred to another institution.
Vanguard lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 136 | 80.47% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 19.53% |
First-time / part-time students at Vanguard University of Southern California represent 1.02% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Vanguard graduation rate was 14%, and by the eight year mark, 29% 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 | Vanguard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 14% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 14% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 23.72% |
5 first-time / part-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
Vanguard lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 40.00% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 60.00% |
Returning / full-time students at Vanguard University of Southern California represent 17.66% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Vanguard graduation rate was 69%, and by the eight year mark, 69% 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 | Vanguard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 69% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 69% | 55.07% |
38 non first-time / part-time students or 31% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
30 transferred to another institution.
Vanguard lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 30 | 78.95% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 21.05% |
Returning / part-time students at Vanguard University of Southern California represent 19.85% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Vanguard graduation rate was 63%, and by the eight year mark, 65% 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 | Vanguard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 57% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 63% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 65% | 37.80% |
48 non first-time / part-time students or 35% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
21 transferred to another institution.
Vanguard lost contact with the remaining 26 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.08% |
| Transferred | 21 | 43.75% |
| Dropped Out | 26 | 54.17% |
