Graduation rate
A comparison of the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that Eckerd College’s 6-year graduation rate compares favorably to that of other private colleges and universities. The most recent six-year cohort (2020) had a graduation rate of 69%. Our goal is 73% or higher.
Retention rate
The rate that first-year students return is another leading indicator of graduation rates. Eckerd’s rate is above the average for other colleges. 77% of first-year students starting in 2025 (as well as the previous four years) returned for their sophomore year. Our goal is 83% or higher.
Participation rate in study abroad
The College has a publicly stated goal of “every eligible student” participating in study abroad. This ambitious goal was bolstered by a recent gift from a long-serving trustee. The first phase of this goal is to get to 85% of eligible domestic first-time-in-college students participating in study abroad by 2030.
Of all domestic, first-time-in-college students who graduated during the 2025-26 academic year, 70% studied abroad at least once during their time at Eckerd.
NCAA student-athlete “Academic Success Rate”
Eckerd College is a member of Division II of the Sunshine State Conference and is proud of its ability to attract and retain student-athletes who are successful both on the court and playing field as well as in the classroom.
The College uses the ASR (Academic Success Rate) as an indicator of its success; the ASR is a metric generated by the NCAA. Our 2025 cohort ASR was 95%. By comparison, the national average for NCAA Division II programs is 77%. Our goal is 90% or higher.
Life after Eckerd College
- A 2013 study from the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida puts the employment rate of new graduates at 68%, with an estimated mean salary of $43,000.
- About 500 students per year complete a for-credit internship. By graduation about half of students will have had an internship.
- Our one-year-out survey of 2014 graduates tells us:
- 94% are employed or continuing their education
- 14% found employment linked to an internship
- 84% said their current position had some relation to their career goals
- From other surveys, we estimate that 50% of graduates pursue further studies within five years and 57% of graduates pursue further studies within 10 years.
