Alfred State gets great marks for graduation, freshman retention rates

Steven Reynolds

At a glance

Associate Professor of Business Steven Reynolds provides assistance to a student on a computer in a lab.A national resource for students has declared, “Alfred State is one of the best in the country” for freshman retention, and has also praised the college for graduation rates of students at risk of not completing their degree.

Big Blue Ox graphic

A national resource for students has declared, “Alfred State is one of the best in the country” for freshman retention, and has also praised the college for graduation rates of students at risk of not completing their degree.

Based on the profile of first-time/full-time students entering Alfred State, CollegeFactual.com determined that fewer than half of these students would normally graduate in a reasonable time at most colleges. However, by choosing Alfred State, these students graduate 68.7 percent of the time, a rate that is 22.5 percent higher than the average.

“Therefore, Alfred State is among the highest-performing schools nationwide in graduating students when their anticipated academic achievement is factored in,” concluded College Factual, which defines a reasonable graduation time period as three to six years, depending on the type of degree.

On the topic of retention, College Factual found that, “With 88 percent of students staying on for a second year, Alfred State is one of the best in the country when it comes to freshman retention rates.”

“We are extremely pleased that our graduation and freshman retention rates are recognized as among the very best,” said Alfred State President Dr. Skip Sullivan. “Our students show tremendous drive and a great interest to succeed. This achievement is a testament to the quality of education at Alfred State and the tremendous student experience that we offer. It’s the result of countless hours of hard work and dedication by our students, faculty, and staff.”

College Factual’s trend chart on retention showed that in 2011, 66 percent of Alfred State first-year students remained for a second year, and that the share increased to 88 percent in 2016. US News & World Report agrees that the number of first-year students staying for their sophomore year is a powerful measure of success for a college, ranking Alfred State No. 4 among public schools on its Best Retention Rate list in the 11-state Northern Regional Colleges category.

Associate Professor of Business Steven Reynolds provides assistance to a student on a computer in a lab.

Associate Professor of Business Steven Reynolds provides assistance to a student. The helpfulness of
faculty is just one of the many reasons the college has such impressive graduation and freshman retention rates.