The College of Journalism and Mass Communications has established itself as one of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s strongest colleges in student success. Across measures of first-year retention and four-, five- and six-year graduation rates, COJMC consistently ranks at or near the top of the campus. These results confirm that COJMC students not only feel supported when they first arrive but also persist to degree completion at some of the highest levels in the university.
First-Year Retention
The transition into college life is a critical moment for students, and retention after the first year is a key indicator of whether students feel supported, connected and confident about their choice of institution. Over the past five years, COJMC has demonstrated remarkable stability and strength in this measure.
For the 2024 entering class, COJMC retained 87.9 percent of its students into the second year, the second-highest rate on campus and just a fraction of a point behind Engineering.
This outcome reflects a continuation of COJMC’s long-standing leadership. In both 2020 and 2021, COJMC led the entire university in first-year retention. In 2022, retention surged to 91.2 percent, one of the highest single-year rates posted by any college in recent years. Even in years when other colleges briefly surpassed COJMC, our college remained firmly in the top tier, never falling below third place.
What makes this performance particularly noteworthy is its consistency. While other colleges have shown wide year-to-year variation, COJMC has remained tightly clustered in a high band between 85 and 91 percent. This consistency is evidence of the college’s “do from day one” philosophy, which connects students early to hands-on learning, close faculty mentorship and an inclusive community. Students do not simply arrive. They belong, and the data show that they choose to stay.
Four-Year Graduation
If retention shows that students are well supported at the beginning of their college journey, four-year graduation rates demonstrate that they are also able to finish on time. Here again, COJMC has excelled.
For the 2021 graduating class, COJMC achieved a four-year graduation rate of 61.6 percent. This result tied COJMC with the College of Business for the top spot across all colleges at UNL. The previous year, COJMC recorded its highest four-year graduation rate of 65.2 percent, placing the college ahead of nearly every peer. In fact, COJMC has been in the top tier of four-year graduation rates for four consecutive graduating classes, and in 2018 held the outright highest rate on campus.
The trajectory is also impressive. In 2017, just over half of COJMC students graduated within four years. By 2020, nearly two-thirds were completing their degrees on schedule. This rise of more than ten percentage points in only a few years reflects the college’s intentional efforts to streamline advising, clarify degree pathways and provide the kinds of academic and co-curricular experiences that keep students on track. Families increasingly expect four-year completion, and COJMC is among the few colleges at UNL meeting that expectation at the highest level.
Five-Year Graduation
Not all students finish within four years, but what matters most is whether they persist to degree completion. On this measure, COJMC’s performance is even stronger.
For the 2020 graduating class, COJMC posted a five-year graduation rate of 73 percent, the highest of any college at the university.
In fact, COJMC led the campus in three consecutive cohorts: 2018, 2019, and 2020, with results of 76.7 percent, 78.3 percent and 73 percent, respectively. No other college matched this sustained level of performance. Even earlier cohorts, at 67.8 percent in 2016 and 60.5 percent in 2017, placed COJMC within the upper half of campus outcomes.
The story these results tell is one of persistence. Students who do not finish in four years overwhelmingly stay enrolled and complete their degrees in five. Far from being derailed, COJMC students continue to push through to graduation at some of the strongest rates in the university.
Six-Year Graduation
The six-year graduation rate is the national benchmark most often cited when comparing student outcomes across institutions. It is here that COJMC’s success is most striking.
For the 2019 graduating class, COJMC achieved a six-year graduation rate of 79.4 percent, the highest on campus. This was not an isolated success.
In 2015, COJMC also recorded the highest six-year rate at 79.5 percent, and in 2018 the college reached 76.7 percent, just a fraction behind Architecture. Over the five most recent graduating classes, COJMC has twice led the university outright.
In practical terms, this means that nearly eight in ten COJMC students who enter the college complete their degree within six years. This outcome surpasses many national benchmarks and speaks to the culture of persistence within the college. Students who begin in COJMC not only stay but succeed, finishing their programs at the highest rates among their peers across campus.
The COJMC Pattern of Success
Taken together, these results reveal a clear and consistent pattern. COJMC students begin strong, with some of the highest first-year retention rates at the university. They continue strong, with more than 60 percent completing their degrees on time. For those who take longer, nearly three-quarters graduate within five years, and close to 80 percent complete within six years. At every stage of the student journey, COJMC ranks as one of the most successful colleges at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
This success is not about a single data point. It is about the alignment of culture, support and opportunity. From their first semester through graduation, COJMC students are engaged in meaningful work, guided by committed faculty and advisors and sustained by a community that believes in their potential. The numbers confirm what the COJMC experience promises: students here thrive and they finish.
