Just the Facts—The Best 4-Year Graduation Rates

One of the scariest numbers in postsecondary education is the national “six-year” college graduation rate. Every college and university in the country tracks it, and every school must submit their number for analysis by the federal government. Sadly, the percent of students starting as freshmen in four-year bachelor’s programs who graduate within six years now rests at about at 57 percent.

You might be wondering what the four-year graduation rate must be if only 57 percent of students graduate in six years. Trust me, it’s far worse. And the divide between public and private institutions is really disturbing—a little over 50 percent of all private school students graduate in four years while less than 30 percent of students attending public institutions graduate in the same period.

Locally, a handful of colleges can boast of 4-year graduation rates above 80 percent or well above the national average. These include the US Naval Academy (89%), Washington & Lee (88%), Georgetown (85%), UVa (84%), William & Mary (83%), Johns Hopkins University (83%), and the University of Richmond (82%).

Again, thanks to USNWR, here is a sneak peek of the top 4-year graduation rates for 2012:

1. Williams College (93%)
2. Olin College of Engineering (91%)
3. Yale University (90%)
4. University of Notre Dame (90%)
5. Princeton University (90%)
6. Carleton College (89%)
7. Davidson College (89%)
8. Pomona College (89%)
9. Bowdoin College (89%)
10. US Naval Academy (89%)
11. Duke University (89%)
12. Wesleyan University (88%)
13. Harvard University (88%)
14. Haverford College (88%)
15. Boston College (88%)
16. Vassar College (88%)
17. Washington and Lee University (88%)
18. Bucknell University (88%)
19. University of Pennsylvania (88%)
20. Northwestern University (87%)
21. Babson College (87%)
22. Columbia University (87%)
23. College of the Holy Cross (87%)
24. Claremont McKenna College (87%)