Outside of price tags, few numbers dampen the enthusiasm of parents faster than graduation rates. Ask the average parent of a college-bound high school student what percent of college freshmen finish their undergraduate careers in four years, and most will settle on numbers in the 70 to 75 percent range. Probe a little further into six year graduation rates, and parents will chuckle, “Shouldn’t everyone be about finished by then?”
In reality, about 56 percent of the 1.2 million freshmen who entered college in the fall of 2001 graduated in six years, and the average four-year graduation rate is much lower--50 percent at private colleges and 29 percent at public institutions. If you’re an underrepresented minority (URM) student, the figures are even grimmer. Only about 40 percent of minority students earned a bachelor’s degree within six years.
Among local colleges and universities, six-year graduation rates are largely above the national average. In a sample of some more popular area college destinations, these numbers range from
But look on the bright side. Because of dedicated efforts on the part of concerned colleges and universities, rates of graduation have been steadily improving over the past five years. Local gains may be found at
For minority students, the highest rates of graduation are also found at the
Using data from College Results Online—a web-based tool that provides comprehensive information on college graduation rates by institution—the following chart compares area colleges and shows how much improvement has occurred both overall and among underrepresented minority students at each institution:
| Overall 6-year Completion | URM 6-year Completion | ||
2002 | 2007 | 2002 | 2007 | |
American University | 65.8 | 73 | 59.5 | 74.8 |
Catholic University | 65.3 | 74.6 | 52.9 | 60 |
Christopher Newport | 36.4 | 51.5 | 36.3 | 48.8 |
George Mason | 65.3 | 74.6 | 46.5 | 62.2 |
George Washington | 73.2 | 78.1 | 60.2 | 71.4 |
93.8 | 93.4 | 87.8 | 88 | |
| 68.7 | 66.9 | 67.9 | 58.1 |
Johns | 87.8 | 90.4 | 82.9 | 86.9 |
Mary Washington | 69.7 | 75.7 | 53.5 | 64.8 |
| 82.2 | 86.3 | 75 | 88.1 |
56.6 | 66.4 | 47.3 | 64.4 | |
UMBC | 53.3 | 60.5 | 54.2 | 63.5 |
69.1 | 79.9 | 58.1 | 69.4 | |
UVA | 91.8 | 93.2 | 87.7 | 90.1 |
Virginia Commonwealth | 39.4 | 46.7 | 39.7 | 43.1 |
William and Mary | 90.6 | 91.5 | 89.2 | 88.4 |
Although most colleges have improved overall graduation rates during the past five years, much work remains, particularly for minority students. Reports released by the Education Trust over the past few days address these issues and suggest that graduation rates among all students improve most where concerted effort is made.