by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to WIT after their first year? Are WIT students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 80% students making it past their freshmen year, WIT 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| WIT | 80% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
There were approximately 826 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 53% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 65% of the students had graduated and after eight years 66% 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 WIT graduation rate 65%.
The average length of time it takes an WIT undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.20 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 649 | 51% |
| Six Years | 826 | 65% |
| Eight Years | 12 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 428 | 34% |
Approximately 428 students or 34% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 428 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
285 transferred to another institution.
WIT lost contact with the remaining 135 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.7% |
| Transferred | 285 | 66.6% |
| Dropped Out | 135 | 31.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 68% |
| Black / African-American | 53% |
| Hispanic | 66% |
| International | 58% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 69% |
| Unknown | 69% |
| White | 71% |
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 WIT 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 Wentworth Institute of Technology represent 77% of the students in the class of 2015, and 79.54% of WIT bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 53%, first-time students in the WIT class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the WIT graduation rate was 68%, and by the eight year mark, 69% 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 | WIT | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 53% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 68% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 69% | 47.82% |
306 first-time / full-time students or 31% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
244 transferred to another institution.
WIT lost contact with the remaining 59 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.98% |
| Transferred | 244 | 79.74% |
| Dropped Out | 59 | 19.28% |
First-time / part-time students at Wentworth Institute of Technology represent 4.81% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 48%, first-time, part-time students in the WIT class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 48%.
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 | WIT | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 41% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 48% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 23.72% |
32 first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
7 transferred to another institution.
WIT lost contact with the remaining 24 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 3.13% |
| Transferred | 7 | 21.88% |
| Dropped Out | 24 | 75.00% |
192 WIT students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.15% 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 61%, 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 61%.
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 | WIT | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 61% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 55.07% |
75 non first-time / part-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
32 transferred to another institution.
WIT lost contact with the remaining 40 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 4.00% |
| Transferred | 32 | 42.67% |
| Dropped Out | 40 | 53.33% |
40 WIT students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 3.16% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 58%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 63%.
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 | WIT | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 58% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 37.80% |
15 non first-time / part-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
WIT lost contact with the remaining 12 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 6.67% |
| Transferred | 2 | 13.33% |
| Dropped Out | 12 | 80.00% |
