Undergraduate Persistence
and Completion

More than six in 10 students who began college at public four-year institutions in fall 2011 finished a degree within six years—53.5 percent did so at their starting institution, 3.4 percent at a two-year institution, and 7.8 percent at another four-year institution. By race and ethnicity, more than seven in 10 Asian (75.8 percent) and White (71.1 percent) students completed a credential within six years of first enrolling. The total completion rate for Hispanic or Latino students was 55.7 percent, while that of students of more than one race was 62.3 percent. Black or African American students had the lowest total completion rate of any group, with less than half completing a credential within six years (46.0 percent).