College Graduation Rates: How Many People Graduate College?

It may seem as if droves of college students collect diplomas every year, but of the students who start college, how many actually graduate?

The most recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center reports that the six-year graduation rate for bachelor’s-degree-seeking full-time undergraduate students who enrolled in fall 2019 was 61.1%.

The graduation rate refers to the percentage of students who complete their program within 150% of the published time for that program. The NSC Research Center’s averages include students who transferred institutions, but individual schools’ figures don’t include those students. It’s important not to confuse graduation rates with retention rates, which refer to the percentage of students who continued at a particular school the next year.

Here, we’ll walk you through what the college graduation rate can tell you about a school and why it’s important, as well as outline a good graduation rate. We’ll also break down graduation rates by state and college, discuss some reasons why students might not graduate, and let you know how to overcome some of those obstacles.

What Do College Graduation Rates Tell Us?

If you’re a prospective student, understanding the difference between graduation rates and retention rates leaves you better prepared to work out how the schools on your list compare. Checking out the graduation rate of your first-choice college gives you a definite indication of whether that school is better or worse than average at getting students to the finish line. Average graduation rates also tell you which types of institutions are best at that key task. Based on the available statistics, private, nonprofit institutions graduate students at the highest rate.

Why Is Knowing the Graduation Rate Important for Selecting a College?

When it comes to researching colleges, different things matter to different students. Athletes may want to know more about athletic programs. English majors may want to know how many professors are published writers.

However, among all the different factors you can research, the graduation rate remains one of the most important for all prospective students to understand.

Why? The graduation rate not only lets you know how many students graduate in a timely manner but also serves as a gauge of other important points, such as student satisfaction. Still, it’s not the only metric you’ll want to consider when you’re choosing a college. Other priority considerations include teacher-to-student ratio, retention rate, loan default rates (which could indicate low incomes after graduation), and selectivity.

Two trusted websites compile information on graduation rates for individual schools: College Navigator and College Results Online.

•   College Navigator: College Navigator compiles information from about 7,000 colleges and universities across the United States. The site breaks down both retention rates and graduation rates, and you can also filter rates by race/ethnicity and gender.

•   College Results Online: College Results Online also lists both graduation and retention rates for institutions. You can cross-index certain peer institutions against each other to compare rates.

What Is a Good Graduation Rate for a College?

The best graduation rates in the U.S. are over 90%, with many of the Ivy League schools falling into this bracket. For example, let’s take a look at a few graduation rates based on College Navigator data for the cohort that enrolled in fall 2017:

•   Harvard University: 97%

•   Yale University: 96%

•   Cornell University: 95%

You can also find high graduation rates within highly selective liberal arts colleges:

•   Claremont McKenna College: 95%

•   Amherst College: 93%

•   Davidson College: 92%

It’s important to remember that since these highly selective schools only admit students with top-tier credentials, they naturally attract some of the most driven students on the planet, resulting in a high graduation rate.

So, what’s a good graduation rate for a college? Do these figures mean that a college with a graduation rate in the 80s or even the 70s isn’t a good school or that it isn’t the right school for you? Absolutely not. As we mentioned above, there are other factors in the mix as well, including your personal preferences and interests. The right fit for you may be a school with a 70% graduation rate. The better the fit, the more likely you are to graduate on time.

Lowest College Graduation Rates in the United States

Unfortunately, the colleges with the lowest graduation rates in the U.S. aren’t highly publicized. However, if, during your own research, you see a school that graduates students at or below 60%, you may want to probe the admissions counselor at that college for the reasons why rates are so low and find out more about how the college plans to improve.

Average College Graduation Rates in the United States

If we dig a bit further into the 2025 NSC Research Center report, it states that the average college graduation rate for the fall 2019 cohort was:

•   70.9% at public four-year institutions

•   74.6% at private nonprofit institutions

•   35.9% at private for-profit four-year institutions

Overall, 58.1% of male students and 64.3% of female students graduated within six years, with female students having a higher graduation rate at the following types of institutions:

•   Public institutions (74.3% female versus 67.7% male)

•   Private nonprofit institutions (77.6% female versus 71.3% male)

The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center calculates graduation rates by tracking cohorts of first-time, degree-seeking college students to compile its report. Using data from over 3,750 colleges, it considers completion the earning of a certificate, associate, or bachelor’s degree, which could be at the starting school or any other institution.

College Graduation Rates by State

Here are the college graduation rates for the fall 2019 cohort by state, according to the NSC Research Center:

State	Completion Rate
Vermont	73.1%
Massachusetts	71.5%
New Hampshire	70.8%
Rhode Island	70.8%
Pennsylvania	70.0%
Iowa	70.0%
Wisconsin	69.7%
South Dakota	69.6%
Minnesota	68.8%
Indiana	67.7%
Virginia	67.4%
North Dakota	66.3%
Ohio	66.2%
Connecticut	65.9%
North Carolina	65.8%
South Carolina	64.5%
New York	64.2%
Nebraska	63.9%
Illinois	63.1%
Delaware	62.7%
Florida	62.7%
Kentucky	62.4%
Michigan	62.1%
Georgia	61.9%
Missouri	61.9%
Kansas	61.8%
Colorado	61.7%
Maine	61.1%
New Jersey	61.0%
Mississippi	60.7%
West Virginia	60.4%
Maryland	60.1%
Arkansas	59.9%
Wyoming	59.7%
Utah	59.5%
Alabama	59.3%
Tennessee	58.2%
Montana	56.6%
Washington	56.5%
Idaho	56.5%
Texas	56.0%
Oregon	55.3%
California	54.8%
Arizona	54.8%
Louisiana	54.2%
Oklahoma	54.0%
Hawaii	53.3%
New Mexico	48.3%
Nevada	46.8%
Alaska	37.2%

Numbers of College Graduates in the 21st Century

In the past 20 or so years, the number of college graduates has increased by a huge amount. According to information published by the Education Data Initiative, in 2000, approximately 1.24 million students graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree. In 2025, that number reached nearly 2.17 million.

Reasons Why College Students Don’t Graduate

Let’s turn the tables a bit and take a look at a few reasons why students might not graduate. Depending on the student, these may include issues such as the high cost of tuition, trying to balance work and school, or poor academic performance.

Cost

Increasing price tags aren’t a new reason for students to drop out of school. When it gets too expensive, they may feel there’s no solution but to leave. The 2025 affordability report of the National College Attainment Network found that for the average in-state student in the 2022-2023 academic year, a little over a third of public bachelor’s-granting institutions were affordable. Researchers based this on total tuition and living costs and an emergency expenses constant measured against grants, federal loans, federal work study income, an estimated family contribution, and estimated summer wages.

Recommended: What Is the Average Cost of College Tuition?

Balancing Work and School

Many undergraduates work part-time jobs to help pay their way through college. A lot of them get stuck in the quagmire of trying to keep up with both work and school, which can be a challenging balancing act. Many seasonal jobs for college students exist, which means you may be able to get a job during the summer instead of working during the school year.

Recommended: 3 Summer Jobs Ideas for College Students

Transferring

Transferring colleges sometimes means credits can get lost in translation. When colleges force transfer students to retake classes, it not only costs those students more financially, but they also have to spend extra time pursuing their degree. This sometimes means that students can face difficulty getting enough credits to graduate.

Poor Grades

Sometimes, students simply can’t make the grade. Even if it happens during just one semester, it can cause them to shy away from college altogether. In particular, first-generation college students, low-income students, and minority students are vulnerable and may question whether they really belong in college.

Being Denied a Student Loan

Being denied a student loan or other types of financial aid can be a huge deterrent to continuing in college. If you haven’t secured enough financial aid, remember that there are ways around it — including seeking a loan through a different lender.

Overcoming the Obstacles as a College Student

What can you do to overcome these obstacles and successfully graduate from college? Let’s find out. Here are a few things you can do to help you stay the course:

•   Get organized with everything — schoolwork, athletics, homework, and anything else that takes your time and attention.

•   Get support from family and friends.

•   Create healthy habits. Eat nutrient-dense meals, get enough sleep, and stay healthy.

•   Carefully consider the best ways to pay for college, and focus on managing your money.

•   Get to know professors and academic support professionals at your college or university.

•   Work on your time management skills so you have the time you need for important assignments.

•   Take care of your mental health. If you’re struggling to balance the many priorities of being a college student, reach out to family or friends for help. If you need additional support, contact your campus’s health and wellness center to see what counseling resources are available to students.

•   If you’re attending community college to begin with, investigate transfer options early on so you know how to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Ways to Fund College

Making sure you have a concrete plan to pay for college is one of the best ways to make sure you successfully graduate. Let’s walk through a few tips to make sure you have all your ducks in a row.

•   Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). This is the first step in applying for federal financial aid, including grants, scholarships, and low-interest-rate federal student loan options.

•   Search for scholarships. Ask the college or university you plan to attend about the scholarships they offer. Don’t forget to search around in your community as well.

•   Get a work-study job. If you qualify for work-study, this can be an opportunity to earn some money for college expenses. In this federal program, you work to earn money, and your school pays you for that work, which it must do at least monthly.

•   Look into private loans. If you need to fill the gap between scholarships, grants, and federal student loans, look into private loans to help you make it across the graduation stage. These may lack the borrower protections afforded to federal student loans (such as deferment options or income-driven repayment plans) and are therefore generally considered only after you’ve exhausted other financing sources.

The Takeaway

A school’s graduation rate reflects the percentage of students who graduate within 150% of the published time frame. This is different from a school’s retention rate, which measures the percentage of students who remain at that school from year to year. A school’s graduation rate can be an informative benchmark as you evaluate and compare schools during the application process.

If you are a current college student, you can do a lot to make sure you stay the course, including taking care of yourself, using scholarships and grants to your advantage, getting academic help, and making sure (if necessary) that you have the right private loans to make it all happen.

Ready to find private student loans to make sure you get to throw your cap at graduation? Visit SoFi and learn more about private student loans and the low rates we have to offer. Our friendly experts can also help you decide on your best course of action.

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FAQ

What is the average college graduation rate in the U.S.?

According to the NSC Research Center Yearly Progress and Completion report published in December 2025, the average graduation rate for the 2019 U.S. cohort was 61.1%. This rate can help you evaluate prospective institutions, comparing individual college graduation rates to the national average.

Which schools have the best graduation rates?

Private nonprofit schools tend to have the highest graduation rates, followed closely by public schools. Private for-profit schools have lower rates, while Ivy League universities, such as Harvard and Yale, have particularly high rates.

How can students increase their chances of graduating?

Key reasons why students leave college without graduating include cost, academic difficulties, and administrative problems with transferred credits or loans. The best way to avoid these problems is to plan carefully and stay organized. Consider different colleges and their benefits, look at various options for funding, and build a network for practical and emotional support.

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Photo credit: iStock/digitalskillet

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