Study: College Completion Rates Increased in 2020

(photo courtesy of Grace College)

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has released its 2021 College Completion Report. The commission says Indiana’s 2020 college students faced unprecedented learning disruption, but graduated at higher rates than in 2019.

Despite the upheaval caused by COVID-19 in the spring of 2020, the commission says Indiana’s college completion rates stayed on track or improved at most institutions. One explanation is that students were already close to graduating when learning shifted from in-person to online.

“Completing college is the foundational marker of college success, and we’ve been intentional about improving this rate for many years,” said Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers. “It is encouraging to see the class of 2020 finished strong, despite the turmoil that was going on last spring. However, we cannot ease our momentum in making sure that Indiana’s students are fully prepared to enter and complete postsecondary education.”

According to the report, more than 44% of all Hoosier college students graduated on time, an increase of 2 percentage points since 2019. The rate of students graduating in an extended timeframe also improved, from 62% in 2019 to nearly 64% in 2020.

Campuses with the greatest one-year improvement in on-time graduation rates include Vincennes University, Indiana State University, and the University of Southern Indiana, among others.

Indiana University Bloomington, Purdue University West Lafayette and Ball State University campuses have the overall highest on-time and extended-time completion rates.

While there was progress in 2020 overall, there are numerous completion gaps that exist for adult learners, Black, Hispanic/Latino and low-income students.

“Indiana will not achieve its big goal of having at least 60 percent of Hoosiers with a quality degree or credential beyond high school without closing these college readiness and success gaps,” said Lubbers.

According to the commission, key report findings include the improvement of on-time completion rates and an increase in students who are graduating within six years.

You can read the full 2021 College Completion Report by clicking here.