New Report: Six in Ten Students Complete College Within Six Years of Enrolling

Title:  Completing College 2019 National Report

Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center recently released its annual report on college completion, which documents undergraduate students’ diverse postsecondary pathways and examines disparities in completion outcomes.

According to the report, the percentage of students who complete their degree within six years of enrolling in college—the national college completion rate—has risen steadily since the 2009 cohort year from 54.1 percent to 59.7 percent for students who started college in 2013.

The report focuses on enrollment patterns and completion outcomes for the 2013 cohort and compares them with the 2012 cohort. On average, the 2013 cohort was younger and more likely to start at a four-year institution. Completion rates increased by 1.2 percentage points from 2012 to 2013 for traditional students and by more than 2 percentage points for delayed-entry students (ages 21 to 24) and adult learners (age 25 and over).

Finally, the report explores disparities in major choice across different groups. The authors found that the top five most-common majors differed by gender, institution types, and across racial and ethnic lines. Based on these findings, the report discusses the implications for postsecondary institutions.

Click here to read the full report.

—Yuan He