Data & Trends · Updated
Graduation rates
What completion actually looks like, by type of institution and degree level.
Sample data — verify before publication. Figures on this page are illustrative and have not yet been checked against the primary source.
Six-year graduation rate, first-time, full-time bachelor's entrants
4 categories
Methodology
NCES measures completion at 120% of normal time (six years for a four-year degree). The national figure of about 63 percent is a weighted average across institutions. On-time (four-year) rates are materially lower. The two numbers describe different questions and should not be mixed.
Source
NCES — IPEDS Completions and Graduation Statistics
https://nces.ed.gov/ipedsAccessed .
Figures are national averages; individual institutions vary substantially.
How we handle this kind of number — source selection, second review, and corrections — is set out in our sourcing standards and corrections policy.
College enrollment in the United States
How degree-granting enrollment has changed since 2010 — with the post-pandemic period spelled out.
U.S. Department of Education, NCESTuition and net price
What a degree actually costs after aid — and how to compare colleges on that basis.
NCESStudent loan balances in the U.S.
What the national balance looks like, who holds it, and how payments behave.
New York Fed