Exploring College Graduation: How Many Graduate?

Table of Contents

• What Percent of People Who Go to College Actually Graduate?
• How Many College Graduates Don’t Use Their Degree?
• What Are the Statistics About College Graduation Rates?
• How Many College Graduates Use Their Degrees?

What Percent of People Who Go to College Actually Graduate?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the national college graduation rate is around 66.1% for those who started their studies in the fall of 2009. This means that of the 2.9 million students who began college during the 2009-10 academic year, around 1.9 million graduated within six years.

In addition, college completion rates vary from state to state. For example, in 2017, the state of Mississippi had the lowest percentage of graduates at 38.9%, while the state of New Hampshire had the highest percentage of graduates at 84%.

How Many College Graduates Don’t Use Their Degree?

According to a survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, around 7.3% of college graduates from the class of 2008 did not use their degree within the first year of graduation. This number rises to 11.9% when looking at graduates from five years prior.

What Are the Statistics About College Graduation Rates?

In 2017, the national college graduation rate was 66.1%. This means that around two-thirds of those who started college in 2009 earned a degree within six years.

At the same time, the graduation rate for public four-year institutions was 57.7%, while the graduation rate for private four-year institutions was 73.5%. The graduation rate for two-year public institutions was 25.5%, while the graduation rate for private two-year institutions was 28.3%.

How Many College Graduates Use Their Degrees?

A survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics found that 92.7% of college graduates from the class of 2008 used their degree within the first year of graduation. This number rises to 88.1% when looking at graduates from five years prior.

Overall, the numbers demonstrate that while college graduation rates can vary from state to state and school to school, the majority of those who start college are likely to graduate and use their degree within the first year of graduating.