by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Winthrop 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 Winthrop. 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 74% students making it past their freshmen year, Winthrop 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 South Carolina, the average is 65.91%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Winthrop | 74% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Carolina | 65.91% |
Of the 946 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 50% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 61% of the students had graduated and after eight years 62% 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 Winthrop graduation rate 61%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 783 | 50% |
| Six Years | 946 | 61% |
| Eight Years | 14 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 596 | 38% |
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 596 students or 38% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 596 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
399 transferred to another institution.
Winthrop lost contact with the remaining 194 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.2% |
| Transferred | 399 | 66.9% |
| Dropped Out | 194 | 32.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 67% |
| Black / African-American | 59% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 51% |
| International | 90% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 47% |
| White | 64% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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 Winthrop 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 Winthrop University represent 69.28% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Winthrop graduation rate was 61%, and by the eight year mark, 62% 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 | Winthrop | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 48% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 61% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 47.82% |
406 first-time / full-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
293 transferred to another institution.
Winthrop lost contact with the remaining 112 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.25% |
| Transferred | 293 | 72.17% |
| Dropped Out | 112 | 27.59% |
First-time / part-time students at Winthrop University represent 0.06% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Winthrop graduation rate was 0%, and by the eight year mark, 0% 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 | Winthrop | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 0% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 0% | 23.72% |
1 first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Winthrop lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
Returning / full-time students at Winthrop University represent 28.09% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Winthrop graduation rate was 63%, and by the eight year mark, 63% 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 | Winthrop | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 63% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 55.07% |
160 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.
95 transferred to another institution.
Winthrop lost contact with the remaining 64 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.62% |
| Transferred | 95 | 59.38% |
| Dropped Out | 64 | 40.00% |
Returning / part-time students at Winthrop University represent 2.57% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Winthrop graduation rate was 28%, and by the eight year mark, 28% 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 | Winthrop | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 18% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 28% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 28% | 37.80% |
29 non first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
10 transferred to another institution.
Winthrop lost contact with the remaining 18 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 3.45% |
| Transferred | 10 | 34.48% |
| Dropped Out | 18 | 62.07% |
