by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to VUU after their first year? Are VUU students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 61% students making it past their freshmen year, VUU has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Virginia, the average is 69.66%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| VUU | 61% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Virginia | 69.66% |
Of the 149 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 15% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 27% of the students had graduated and after eight years 29% 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 VUU graduation rate 27%.
The average length of time it takes an VUU undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.57 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 96 | 17% |
| Six Years | 149 | 27% |
| Eight Years | 10 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 397 | 71% |
Approximately 397 students or 71% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 397 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
76 transferred to another institution.
VUU lost contact with the remaining 321 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 76 | 19.1% |
| Dropped Out | 321 | 80.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 36% |
| Hispanic | 40% |
| Unknown | 50% |
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 VUU 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 Virginia Union University represent 80% of the students in the class of 2015, and 73.83% of VUU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 15%, first-time students in the VUU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the VUU graduation rate was 25%, and by the eight year mark, 25% 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 | VUU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 15% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 25% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 47.82% |
335 first-time / full-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
69 transferred to another institution.
VUU lost contact with the remaining 266 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 69 | 20.60% |
| Dropped Out | 266 | 79.40% |
First-time / part-time students at Virginia Union University represent 0.72% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 25%, first-time, part-time students in the VUU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 25%.
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 | VUU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 25% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 23.72% |
3 first-time / part-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
VUU lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 100.00% |
98 VUU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 17.63% 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 37%, 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 40%.
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 | VUU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 37% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 55.07% |
59 non first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
7 transferred to another institution.
VUU lost contact with the remaining 52 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 7 | 11.86% |
| Dropped Out | 52 | 88.14% |
7 VUU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 1.26% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 29%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 100%.
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 | VUU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 29% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 37.80% |
