Undergraduate Retention and Graduation Rates

Single page print out for those wanting an "at a glance" view of the data.

Student Success Profile (PDF)

Overall

The overall 6-year graduation rate was 75% for full-time freshmen entering in 2017, the most recent class to have had a full 6 years to graduate.  Going back to the beginning of our electronic records in 1988, this equals UCB’s highest rate ever, first set last year.

By Residency

The 6-year graduation rate for Colorado residents set an all-time high at 79%, bettering the previous high of 78%, set last year.  

The rate for non-residents was 71%, equaling the all-time high set last year.  

By Gender

The graduation rate for female students was 79%, equaling the all-time high from last year. Males graduated at a 72% rate, the third consecutive record high. 

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)

The 6-year graduation rate for BIPOC students in the entering class of 2017 was 73%, a 1-point increase over last year’s 6-year cohort, and the highest on record for the third consecutive year.  (The record prior to the last 3 years was 66%.) The gap between BIPOC students and white students was 3 percentage points, one fewer than last year. 

Pell Grant recipients

The 6-year graduation rate for recipients of federal Pell Grants (a proxy for lower income students) entering in 2016 was 68%, an all-time high and 2 points higher than the previous high, set the prior two years. 

First-Generation Students

The six-year graduation rate for first-generation college students in the 2017 cohort was 67%, an all-time high by 2 percentage points over the former high of 65%, attained the prior 3 years.

Overall

The 4-year graduation rate for the class entering in 2019 was 57%, equaling last year, and one point lower than the record high from 2 years ago. The critical first spring and second fall for this group was the pandemic year of 2020, which may have had an impact.  

By Residency

The 4-year grad rate for Colorado residents entering in 2019 dropped considerably from the prior 3 years, to 58%, down from 61% for the 2018 group. Non-residents, on the other hand, jumped to 57%, 3 points higher than the all-time high attained by the prior 3 cohorts. 

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)

The 4-year rate for BIPOC students was 53% for the second consecutive year. This was 2 points off the all-time high set two years ago. 

Pell Grant Recipients & First-Generation Students

The 4-year rate for Pell recipients dropped to 46%, a 3-point decline from last year and 5 points lower than the record high of 51% set two years ago. The rate for first-generation students equaled last year at 46%, but was 4 points lower than the all-time high, also set two years ago. 

One-Year Retention Rates

The one-year (2nd fall) retention rate for freshmen entering in 2022 was 89%, an all-time high.  The 2nd-fall retention rate had been 87% or 88% for 6 of the prior 7 entry cohorts, excluding only the 2019 cohort whose second fall was during the first year of the pandemic.

The resident 2nd-fall retention rate increased to 90%, equaling the all-time high, following 3 consecutive years at 88%. Prior to those 3 years, the rate had been 89-90% for the previous 5 consecutive cohorts. 

Non-residents retained at a rate of 88%, equaling last year’s all-time high. 

BIPOC students gained 2 points from last year, to an all-time high of 87%. The 2nd-fall retention rate for BIPOC students had been 85 or 86% for the past 7 consecutive years. 

Pell recipients’ 2nd-fall retention rate jumped 3 points, to 84%, one point short of the all-time high set eight years ago. First-generation students gained 6 points, to 84%, equaling the record high attained by two earlier cohorts. 

Two-Year retention rates

The two-year (3rd fall) retention rate for freshmen entering in 2021 was 82%, an all-time high. Four of the previous five cohorts have had a 2-year rate of 81%, the exception being the 2018 cohort, whose 3rd fall was the first pandemic year of 2020. 

The 3rd-fall rate for residents was 83%, a point higher than last year but 2 points below the high set 5 years ago. Non-residents retained at 80%, equaling the record high set last year.   

The two-year retention rate for BIPOC students dropped 1 point, to 77%, the second consecutive 1-point decline. The record high is 81%, from four years ago. 

The two-year retention rate of Pell recipients dropped 1 point, to 74%, while first-generation students dropped 3 points, to 70%. Both groups have dropped considerably from their peaks, which were 78% (Pell) and 76% (first generation), both achieved by the 2017 entry cohorts.