First-Year Persistence, Progression and Graduation Rates in Public Universities, Colleges, and Technical Institutes or Colleges 1
  Four-Year Colleges and Universities Two-Year Colleges Two-Year Colleges Technical Institutes or Colleges  
First-Year Persistence Rate 2 Progression Rate 3 Graduation Rate First-Year Persistence Rate 2 Progression Rate 3 Progression Rate 3 Graduation Rate First-Year Persistence Rate 2 Progression Rate 3 Graduation Rate
2004
Cohort
Change
2000 to 2004
1999
Cohort
Change
1994 to 1999
1999
Cohort
Increase
1994 to 1999
2004
Cohort
Change
2000 to 2004
2002
Cohort
Change
1997 to 2002
2002
Cohort
Change
1997 to 2002
2004
Cohort
Change
2000 to 2004
2002
Cohort
Increase
1997 to 2002
2002
Cohort
Increase
1997 to 2002
United States
54
22
52
United States
SREB states
84
*
73
4
52
7
58
*
48
3
17
-1
53
-8
50
14
30
*
SREB states
SREB states as a percent of U.S.
97
81
58
 
Alabama
85
-4
56
6
49
3
70
-11
43
8
19
-1
55
-4
48
12
38
8
Alabama
Arkansas
75
-3
70
8
39
7
56
-1
53
0
20
-7
Arkansas
Delaware
79
-6
65
1
65
1
104
-3
10
-3
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
Delaware
Florida
86
1
73
2
59
5
70
-2
59
16
31
1
Florida
Georgia
85
3
78
7
48
7
68
1
54
3
15
1
52
-9
49
35
Georgia
Kentucky
84
2
65
-4
46
2
64
5
65
7
35
25
66
33
68
59
Kentucky
Louisiana
78
1
60
7
36
7
65
6
39
10
6
-1
54
Louisiana
Maryland
87
-1
66
-6
59
6
72
-14
56
12
8
-5
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
Maryland
Mississippi
76
0
53
5
48
6
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
Mississippi
North Carolina
84
-1
77
1
59
3
27
6
18
-3
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
North Carolina
Oklahoma
81
-2
79
8
46
7
60
-2
51
1
18
0
Oklahoma
South Carolina
87
0
76
2
60
7
54
-12
45
7
13
-1
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
South Carolina
Tennessee
82
2
68
5
46
5
58
-3
44
13
12
1
Tennessee
Texas
87
-2
83
3
55
14
61
-12
48
-1
11
1
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
Texas
Virginia
90
1
83
2
65
4
64
1
44
-1
14
0
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
Virginia
West Virginia 5
79
1
64
8
45
7
60
8
30
-19
9
-20
West Virginia 5
                                       
* Change of less than one-half of 1 percent. "NA" indicates not applicable. There was no institution of this type in the state. “—” indicates not available. 1 These rates are based on the first-time, full-time, bachelor's-seeking students who enrolled in public four-year institutions and on the first-time, full-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students who enrolled in public two-year colleges and technical institutes or colleges in the fall term. 2 The SREB first-year persistence rate is the percentage of students who remained enrolled at the institution they first attended as well as students who transferred to other colleges the next fall. 3 The SREB progression rate for four-year colleges and universities is the percentage of the entering group who, within 150 percent of normal program time (six years for most programs), either completed bachelor's degrees at or remained enrolled at their original institutions or transferred to other postsecondary institutions. The SREB progression rate for two-year colleges and technical institutes or colleges is the percentage of the entering class who, within 150 percent of normal program time (three years for most programs), either completed degrees or certificates at or remained enrolled at their original institutions or transferred to other postsecondary institutions. 4 Two-year colleges in Delaware are the only two-year colleges that report neither student transfers nor those still enrolled after three years. 5The reorganization of two-year colleges formerly embedded in and reported with four-year college data have disrupted and realigned graduation rate reporting.
Sources: SREB-State Data Exchange. SREB analysis of National Center for Education Statistics completions surveys — (www.nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
June 2007