Nicholls graduated 1,342 students in the spring of 2013, breaking the record for the highest number of graduates from Nicholls at one time.
The class of 2013 distinguished 79 more graduates than the class of 2012, graduating 1,263 students.
Since the class of 2008, Nicholls’ graduation rates increases every year, but the record has been broken by the class of 2013.
“We have higher quality students, and we are seeing them progress quicker, meaning our graduate rates are increasing,”  Leslie Dishman, Institutional Research Director, said when asked what this means to Nicholls.
Interdisciplinary Studies graduated 248 students, which is the highest number of individuals in one program that graduated in the class of 2013.
Associate Degrees is another program that exceeded the number of graduates in 2013. Nicholls offers Associate Degrees in Culinary Arts, Petroleum Services, Safety Technology and Child Development & Preschool Management, in which students graduate in two years. The class of 2013, graduated 98 more students than in 2012, leaving 2013 the highest number of students to ever graduate from Nicholls with an Associates Degree.
Some students come to Nicholls for a semester or a year, and then transfer to another university because Nicholls does not offer their degree. Degrees Nicholls does not offer for students are International Relations, Fashion & Design, Photo Journalism, Architecture, Religious Studies, etc.  It may be speculated that students transferring is why our graduation numbers have not increased tremendously. The transfer rate is around 25 percent for the last four years. The same number of students are transferring, but with the higher amount of graduates means more students are attending Nicholls overall.
“I see that Nicholls will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the students”, said Melanie Collins, Associate Director of Institutional Research, when asked if she saw Nicholls adding more degrees to get more students to stay at our university.