by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Waldorf retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree 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 44% students making it past their freshmen year, Waldorf has freshmen retention rates below the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Iowa, the average is 68.94%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Waldorf | 44% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Iowa | 68.94% |
Of the 254 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 23% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 30% of the students had graduated and after eight years 36% 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 Waldorf graduation rate 30%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 195 | 23% |
| Six Years | 254 | 30% |
| Eight Years | 57 | 6% |
| Did Not Complete | 544 | 64% |
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 544 students or 64% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 544 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
59 transferred to another institution.
Waldorf lost contact with the remaining 466 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 59 | 10.8% |
| Dropped Out | 466 | 85.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 100% |
| Black / African-American | 12% |
| Hispanic | 19% |
| International | 100% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 20% |
| White | 33% |
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.
A meaningful share of students at Waldorf are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Waldorf University represent 19.30% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Waldorf graduation rate was 23%, and by the eight year mark, 27% 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 | Waldorf | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 16% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 23% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 27% | 47.82% |
121 first-time / full-time students or 73% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
20 transferred to another institution.
Waldorf lost contact with the remaining 100 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.83% |
| Transferred | 20 | 16.53% |
| Dropped Out | 100 | 82.64% |
First-time / part-time students at Waldorf University represent 7.13% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Waldorf graduation rate was 7%, and by the eight year mark, 13% 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 | Waldorf | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 5% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 7% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 13% | 23.72% |
53 first-time / part-time students or 87% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
10 transferred to another institution.
Waldorf lost contact with the remaining 42 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.89% |
| Transferred | 10 | 18.87% |
| Dropped Out | 42 | 79.25% |
Returning / full-time students at Waldorf University represent 57.89% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Waldorf graduation rate was 31%, and by the eight year mark, 40% 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 | Waldorf | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 31% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 55.07% |
298 non first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
13 are still enrolled.
25 transferred to another institution.
Waldorf lost contact with the remaining 260 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 13 | 4.36% |
| Transferred | 25 | 8.39% |
| Dropped Out | 260 | 87.25% |
Returning / part-time students at Waldorf University represent 15.67% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Waldorf graduation rate was 43%, and by the eight year mark, 46% 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 | Waldorf | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 39% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 43% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 46% | 37.80% |
72 non first-time / part-time students or 54% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
Waldorf lost contact with the remaining 64 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 5.56% |
| Transferred | 4 | 5.56% |
| Dropped Out | 64 | 88.89% |
