by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many WBU first-year students return for their second year, and how many go on to graduate? Retention and graduation rates help you understand how students progress at WBU. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes 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 70% students making it past their freshmen year, WBU has freshmen retention rates near the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Arkansas, the average is 66.23%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| WBU | 70% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Arkansas | 66.23% |
There were approximately 67 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 35% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 44% of the students had graduated and after eight years 46% 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 WBU graduation rate 44%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 53 | 35% |
| Six Years | 67 | 44% |
| Eight Years | 2 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 82 | 54% |
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 82 students or 54% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 82 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
39 transferred to another institution.
WBU lost contact with the remaining 43 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 39 | 47.6% |
| Dropped Out | 43 | 52.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Black / African-American | 13% |
| Hispanic | 9% |
| International | 20% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 14% |
| White | 47% |
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 WBU are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Williams Baptist University represent 74.34% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the WBU graduation rate was 44%, and by the eight year mark, 45% 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 | WBU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 32% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 44% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 45% | 47.82% |
62 first-time / full-time students or 55% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
34 transferred to another institution.
WBU lost contact with the remaining 28 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 34 | 54.84% |
| Dropped Out | 28 | 45.16% |
At this time we lack data for this cohort at Williams Baptist University.
Returning / full-time students at Williams Baptist University represent 25.66% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the WBU graduation rate was 45%, and by the eight year mark, 47% 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 | WBU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 45% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 47% | 55.07% |
20 non first-time / part-time students or 53% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
5 transferred to another institution.
WBU lost contact with the remaining 15 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 5 | 25.00% |
| Dropped Out | 15 | 75.00% |
We don’t have data for this cohort at Williams Baptist University.
