Time To Degree Study

The Clearinghouse’s time to degree study provides a descriptive analysis of 2005-06 bachelor’s degree recipients from four-year postsecondary institutions. A sample cohort was selected from a study population of students enrolled in four-year institutions. Special focus was given to the time to degree variable in terms of enrollment patterns and the incidence of prior two-year degrees among bachelor’s degree recipients. Analyses of these variables were conducted investigating at least six years prior to degree receipt.

Importance of Time to Degree

Tracking enrollment and graduation data provides a realistic picture of the postsecondary experience. Time to degree completion is a critical variable that is linked to student and institutional success and accountability, education expenditure, and time investment (CPEC 2006). Postsecondary research tells us that it takes an average of 55 to 57 months — from first-time enrollment to graduation — to complete a bachelor’s degree without stopping out (Tuma and Geis 1995; NCES 2003).

On average, it takes students who begin at a two-year institution and graduate from a four-year institution a year and a half longer to graduate (NCES 2003). Furthermore, according to Peter and Carroll (2005), there is a direct and positive relationship between time to degree and multiple institution attendance: students who attend three institutions take 11 years to graduate and students who attend four institutions 14 years to graduate. Several factors influence and/or are associated with time to degree, including major, delayed postsecondary entry, parents’ education, grade point average, and whether the institution is public or private (NCES 2003; Horn et al. 2005).

As students attend more than one institution during their postsecondary educational career, capturing their success and progress rate becomes increasingly difficult. Further, the accessibility and availability of national student-based data is lacking. Beyond the mandated federal reporting required from postsecondary education providers, there are few initiatives in place where interstate student-level data, within and between institutions, is available for national level comparison.

For more information

• Presentation: Time to Degree (ppt)