Blackburn College: Student Right-to-Know

Blackburn College is pleased to provide the following information regarding our institution’s retention, graduation/completion rates, and student diversity. The information is provided in compliance with the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The figures below are based on the US Department of Education’s definitions, and are reported annually to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Questions related to this report may be directed to the Office of Institutional Research at 217-854-5594 or Dr. Kristi Nelms.

RETENTION, GRADUATION, AND COMPLETION RATES

Retention Rates

Retention Rates are calculated based on parameters defined by the US Department of Education and must be reported annually to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES). Each fall, all first-time, full-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates form a cohort. The following fall, the cohort is examined to determine the number of students that have returned. This is also known as Fall to Fall retention.
 
These rates below show the percentage of degree/certificate seeking undergraduate students who begin in the fall term who return the next fall term (1 year later).
 

Report Year2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-235-Year Average
Year of Fall Entry20172018201920202021
Cohort Count (class size)14516711111676123
Retention Rate (1-year)70%58%69%67%38%60%

Graduation Rates

Graduation Rates are calculated based on parameters defined by the US Department of Education and must be reported annually to NCES. Each fall, all first-time, full-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates form a cohort. Students in the cohort are tracked for 150% of the normal time of their program (6-years) to see how many complete their degree.
 
The rates below show the percentage of degree/certificate seeking, first-time, full-time, undergraduate students who begin in a specific fall term (cohort) and complete their programs within 150% of normal time to completion, as defined by NCES. For Blackburn students enrolled in a 4-year academic degree program, for instance, the graduation rate shows the percentage of the students in a specific entering class who graduate within 6 years.
 

Report Year2018-192019202020-212021-222022-235-Year Average
Year of Fall Entry20122013201420152016
Cohort Count (class size)135114*166159168*148
Graduation Rate (6-Year)52%39%45%46%35%43%

*Cohort decreased due to death of one student

2022-23 Report Year (2015 Cohort)# in Cohort% in Cohort# Completers within 150%6-Year Graduation Rate
Gender
Female9657%3233%
Male7243%2636%
Race/Ethnicity
American Indian/Alaskan Native00%00%
Asian21%150%
Black or African American2615%831%
Hispanics of Any Race95%111%
Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander00%00%
Non-resident Alien11%00%
White12273%4739%
Two or More Races64%117%
Race & Ethnicity Unknown21%00%

Graduation Rates for Recipients of a Pell Grant or Stafford Loan

Recipients of a Pell Grant and Recipients of a Subsidized Stafford Loan that did not receive a Pell Grant are mutually exclusive; a student is included in only one subgroup below. These rates show the percentage of degree/certificate seeking, first-time, full-time, undergraduate students who begin in a specific fall term (cohort) and complete their programs within 6 years (150% of normal time completion, as defined by NCES).
 

2022-23 Report Year (2016 Cohort)# in Cohort6-Year Graduation Rate
Total Bachelor’s or Equivalent Degree-seeking Cohort16835%
Recipients of a Pell Grant11031%
Recipients of a Subsidized Stafford Loan; no Pell Grant3142%
Did not receive a Pell Grant or Subsidized Stafford Loan2741%

Transfer-Out Rates

At this time, Blackburn has elected not to report this statistic because our mission does not include providing substantial preparation for students to enroll in other institutions and due to the additional time required to track this information.