Study: College Completion Rates Continue to Rise

Lubbers says the commission measures achievement campus-by-campus.

A new report from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education says the percentage of students graduating from public colleges throughout the state is on the rise. The 2019 College Completion Report says more than 40 percent of students graduated on-time, up 2 percent from the previous year and nearly 13 percent over the last five years. 

The report says nearly 62 percent of students graduate within an extended time frame, which is also an increase over last year. The commission says the campuses with the greatest improvement in on-time graduation include Indiana University East, the University of Southern Indiana, IUPUI, IU Kokomo and Ball State University.

IU Bloomington, Purdue University in West Lafayette and Ball State have the overall highest on-time and extended-time completion rates, according to the report.

"Most of the new jobs being created now and in the future require a credential beyond a high school diploma," Indiana Higher Education Commissioner Teresa Lubbers said in a news release. "The data in this report serve as an important gauge for how Indiana’s colleges and universities are preparing students, and how vital the support of the Indiana General Assembly is to the state’s continued success in higher education."

Despite the gains, the commission says achievement gaps remain in Indiana. The report cites data which show adult learners, low-income and minority students remain less likely to graduate on-time than their peers across all campus types.

"We cannot get to Indiana’s big goal of 60 percent of Hoosiers with a quality postsecondary credential without the adult student population persisting and graduating," said Lubbers. "Indiana’s Workforce Ready Grant is assisting these students by paying for high-value certificate programs in the state’s highest demand sectors." 

You can view the full 2019 College Completion Report in the document below or by clicking here.