College Completion Rates Hold Steady at Recent Highs

New report finds students with prior dual enrollment are more likely to stay enrolled and earn a credential

HERNDON, VA / ACCESS Newswire / December 4, 2025 / National college completion rates held steady this year at the high levels reached in recent years, according to a report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The Yearly Progress and Completion report, which looks at the percentage of college students who are earning credentials within a six-year period, found that 61.1% of the more than 2.3 million learners who began college in the fall of 2019 had earned a credential within six years. This rate has held steady for the fourth cohort in a row. An additional 9.0% of students were still enrolled in the 6th year, with 29.8% no longer enrolled (stopped out).

This year’s report also found that students with prior dual enrollment are more likely to stay enrolled and earn a credential than their peers without prior dual enrollment. At the end of their sixth year, 71.1% of prior dual enrollees in the 2019 cohort earned a credential compared to 57.2% of students without prior dual enrollment.

“Students who started in fall 2019 faced the challenges of the pandemic beginning in their second semester, so the fact that their completion rates remain at recent highs underscores the remarkable strength of our higher education ecosystem. This stability is built on the day‑to‑day efforts of students and institutions to maintain progress toward credentials in a changing environment,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Enrollment status: Full-time students remain significantly more likely to earn a credential, with 67.1% of full-time 2019 starters completing by year six and only 25.1% stopping out. In contrast, students who started attending part-time had a much higher stopout rate (51.7%) and a much lower completion rate (34.1%) by year six.

Neighborhood income level: At every income level, in every year, students from more affluent neighborhoods had sharply higher completion rates than those from lower income backgrounds. Half of the 2019 starters (50.1%) from the lowest neighborhood income quintile (bottom 20%) completed by year six versus 75.9% of those from the highest neighborhood income quintile (top 20%).

Student age: The six-year completion rates for older students remain much lower than completion rates for students who start college at 20 or younger (20 and younger: 63.8%; 21-24: 35.6%; 25 and older: 36.6%).

This report combines a year-over-year look at 12 cohorts’ journeys toward completion with an in-depth analysis of six- and eight-year completion rates. Explore the interactive dashboard and data appendix for additional variables at the national and state level.

About the National Student Clearinghouse® Research Center™
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 1993. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes. To learn more, visit nscresearchcenter.org.

CONTACT:

National Student Clearinghouse
media@studentclearinghouse.org

SOURCE: National Student Clearinghouse

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