College completion rate holds steady above 61%
Laura Spitalniak
December 4, 2025
Earning college credit in high school made students more likely to graduate within six years, per the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Dive Brief:
Among students who entered college in fall 2019, 61.1% earned a credential within six years, according to a report released Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. That’s 0.3 percentage points lower than the rate seen among the fall 2018 cohort, according to the latest data.
The newest college completion data also showed that full-time students faced better odds of graduating than part-time students. Those attending college full time who started in fall 2019 were almost twice as likely to graduate within six years compared to part-time students — 67.1% versus 34.1%, respectively.
Whether students took college classes in high school also affected their likelihood of earning credentials. The six-year completion rate among prior dual enrollment students was 71.1%, compared to 57.2% among those who took their first postsecondary course in college.
