by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding W&J 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 85% students making it past their freshmen year, W&J 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 Pennsylvania, the average is 73.24%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| W&J | 85% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
There were approximately 290 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
After four years 67% of the cohort graduated. After six years 70% had completed their degree, and 70% after eight years.
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 W&J graduation rate 70%.
The average W&J student takes 4.15 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 278 | 67% |
| Six Years | 290 | 70% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 123 | 30% |
Approximately 123 students or 30% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 123 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
115 transferred to another institution.
W&J lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 115 | 93.5% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 6.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 67% |
| Black / African-American | 55% |
| Hispanic | 54% |
| International | 80% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 50% |
| Unknown | 15% |
| White | 68% |
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 W&J 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 Washington & Jefferson College represent 94% of the students in the class of 2015, and 93.79% of W&J bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 67%, first-time students in the W&J class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the W&J graduation rate was 70%, and by the eight year mark, 70% 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 | W&J | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 67% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 70% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 70% | 47.82% |
117 first-time / full-time students or 30% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
115 transferred to another institution.
W&J lost contact with the remaining 2 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 115 | 98.29% |
| Dropped Out | 2 | 1.71% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on W&J first-time, part-time students.
24 W&J students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.81% 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 75%, 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 75%.
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 | W&J | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 75% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 75% | 55.07% |
6 non first-time / part-time students or 25% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
W&J lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 100.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on W&J returning, part-time students.
