Completion and Graduation

Retention Rate

Each year, Strayer University reports its retention rate to the U.S. Department of Education. These rates measure the percentage of first time, degree seeking undergraduate students who returned to Strayer University to continue their studies the following fall quarter. The percentage of students who began their studies in Fall 2014 and returned in Fall 2015, following the Department of Education method, was 40.2 percent for first-time, full-time students and 31.8 percent for first-time, part-time students. It is important to note that this rate does not include new students entering with transfer credit, new students seeking undergraduate certificates or diplomas, or new students seeking graduate certificates, diplomas, or Master’s degrees at Strayer University. Many Strayer students attend for one or more terms, take a term off, then return to their studies. Additionally, many new Strayer students enter the University with transfer credits. These students are not included in the retention rate calculated following the Department of Education method.

Graduation Rate

The Student Right to Know Act requires Strayer University to report a graduation calculation that includes only the following population: full-time, first-time, undergraduate, degree/certificate seeking students who enroll at Strayer University during a fall quarter. This population is identified each year and followed for up to 6 years to determine the percentage of graduating students. Because the majority of Strayer University’s students are either part-time students or transfer students who have previously attended an institution of higher education, this rate only represents 104 students, which is 0.17% of the University’s student body in 2010.

For the cohort of students entering Fall 2010, the Student Right to Know Act graduation rate was 20.2 percent. This data is updated by July 1 of each year.

Strayer University does not disaggregate this data by gender, racial and ethnic subgroup or receipt of different categories of financial aid as the resulting number of students in these subgroups is insufficient to provide with confidence and confidentiality.