by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Virginia Western Community College? 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 60% students making it past their freshmen year, Virginia Western Community College 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 | |
|---|---|
| Virginia Western Community College | 60% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Virginia | 69.66% |
There were approximately 510 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 26% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 24% of the students had graduated and after eight years 26% 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 Virginia Western Community College graduation rate 24%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 442 | 21% |
| Six Years | 510 | 24% |
| Eight Years | 36 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,567 | 74% |
Approximately 1567 students or 74% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1567 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
371 transferred to another institution.
Virginia Western Community College lost contact with the remaining 1171 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 371 | 23.7% |
| Dropped Out | 1,171 | 74.7% |
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 Virginia Western Community College 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 Virginia Western Community College represent 43% of the students in the class of 2015, and 52.35% of Virginia Western Community College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 26%, first-time students in the Virginia Western Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Virginia Western Community College graduation rate was 30%, and by the eight year mark, 31% 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 | Virginia Western Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 26% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 30% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 31% | 47.82% |
624 first-time / full-time students or 69% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
178 transferred to another institution.
Virginia Western Community College lost contact with the remaining 429 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 178 | 28.53% |
| Dropped Out | 429 | 68.75% |
First-time / part-time students at Virginia Western Community College represent 26.93% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 14%, first-time, part-time students in the Virginia Western Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 17%.
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 | Virginia Western Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 11% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 14% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 17% | 23.72% |
473 first-time / part-time students or 83% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
79 transferred to another institution.
Virginia Western Community College lost contact with the remaining 389 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 1.06% |
| Transferred | 79 | 16.70% |
| Dropped Out | 389 | 82.24% |
286 Virginia Western Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 13.54% 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 28%, 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 30%.
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 | Virginia Western Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 28% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 30% | 55.07% |
200 non first-time / part-time students or 70% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
63 transferred to another institution.
Virginia Western Community College lost contact with the remaining 136 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.50% |
| Transferred | 63 | 31.50% |
| Dropped Out | 136 | 68.00% |
354 Virginia Western Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.75% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 23%, 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 24%.
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 | Virginia Western Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 23% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 24% | 37.80% |
270 non first-time / part-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
51 transferred to another institution.
Virginia Western Community College lost contact with the remaining 217 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.74% |
| Transferred | 51 | 18.89% |
| Dropped Out | 217 | 80.37% |
