How has the college enrollment rate immediately following high school graduation varied over time?

Approximately 58 percent of first-time students seeking a bachelor's degree or its equivalent and attending a 4-year institution full time in 2000-01 completed a bachelor's degree or its equivalent at that institution within 6 years. The bachelor's degree completion rates of students seeking a bachelor's degree at 4-year institutions varied by the type of institution. For example, graduation rates were higher at private not-for-profit institutions than at public or private for-profit institutions. The 6-year graduation rate for private not-for-profit institutions was 65 percent, compared with 55 percent for public institutions and 33 percent for private for-profit institutions. The gap in the rates between private not-for-profit and public institutions was larger for 4-year and 5-year graduation rates than for the 6-year graduation rate.

The bachelor's degree completion rates of students seeking a bachelor's degree at 4-year institutions also varied by student characteristics, including race/ethnicity and sex. Of all students seeking a bachelor's degree or its equivalent and attending a 4-year institution in 2000-01, Asian/Pacific Islander students had the highest 6-year graduation rate, followed by White, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian/Alaska Native students. Approximately 67 percent of Asians/Pacific Islanders, compared with 60 percent of Whites, 49 percent of Hispanics, 42 percent of Blacks, and 40 percent of American Indians/Alaska Natives graduated with a bachelor's degree or its equivalent within 6 years.

In both public and private not-for-profit 4-year institutions, the 6-year graduation rates for females were higher than the rates for males. For public institutions, approximately 58 percent of females seeking a bachelor's degree or its equivalent graduated within 6 years, compared with 51 percent of their male counterparts; for private not-for-profit institutions, 67 percent of females graduated within 6 years, compared with 62 percent of males. At private for-profit institutions, however, the 6-year graduation rate was higher for males than females (36 vs. 29 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2009). The Condition of Education 2009 (NCES 2009-081), Indicator 22.

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 329. Percentage distribution of enrollment and completion status of first-time postsecondary students starting during the 1995-96 academic year, by type of institution and other student characteristics: 2001
• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 8. Percentage of persons age 25 and over and 25 to 29, by race/ethnicity, years of school completed, and sex: Selected years, 1910 through 2008
• 2005, The Condition of Education 2005: Postsecondary participation and attainment among traditional-age students
• 2004, The Condition of Education 2004: Remediation and degree completion
• 2004, The Condition of Education 2004: Trends in undergraduate persistence and completion

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2009, Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS): BPS studies follow students who first begin their postsecondary education.
• 2009, The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS): IPEDS is a system of surveys designed to collect data from all primary providers of postsecondary education.