• Profile of 1999-2000 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients
• The Institutional Path to a Bachelor’s Degree
• Time to Degree
• Postbaccalaureate Activities
• References

This report provides a basic demographic profile of 1999-2000 bachelor’s degree recipients and examines the institutional paths they took to complete the baccalaureate. It also describes the amount of time it took them to do so, assessed from both the time they completed high school and the time they entered postsecondary education. Esti-mates of time to degree are also compared with those for 1992-93 bachelor’s degree recipients. A table compendium in the full report provides more detailed information about the demographic characteristics, undergraduate experiences, and current activities of these college graduates as of 2001.

The percentage of bachelor’s degrees awarded to women increased steadily from the mid-1980s (U.S. Department of Education 2001). A majority of 1999-2000 college graduates were women (57 percent). The bachelor’s degree recipients came from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds. About three-quarters (74 percent) were White; 8 percent were Black or African American; 9 percent were Hispanic or Latino; and 6 percent were Asian. One percent or fewer were Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, some other race, or more than one race.

About half (49 percent) of the students who completed a bachelor’s degree in 1999-2000 did so by age 22. However, 9 percent were ages 30-39 during their last year of college, and 7 percent were age 40 or older.

Among 1999-2000 college graduates, 28 percent had parents who did not attend college, including 4 percent whose parents did not complete high school and 24 percent whose parents completed high school but did not attend college. In addition, one-quarter (25 percent) had at least one parent who completed a bachelor’s degree, 16 percent had a parent with a master’s degree, and 11 percent had a parent with a doctoral or professional degree.

The undergraduate enrollment path that students follow is an important precursor to examine when investigating time to degree. Many factors influence students’ first entry into postsecondary education, and some students do not expect or plan to complete a bachelor’s degree when they first attend college (Berkner, He, and Cataldi 2002). Students who begin at certain types of institutions, such as community colleges, have to transfer to complete the bachelor’s degree; as a result, their path to completion may take longer. This section and subsequent sections of the report are restricted to first-time bachelor’s degree recipients-those who had not already completed a bachelor’s degree before earning one in 1999-2000.

Among 1999-2000 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients, one-half began postsecondary enrollment at public 4-year institutions: 15 percent at non-doctorate-granting institutions, and 35 percent at doctorate-granting institutions (figure A). An additional one-fifth (20 percent) began at public 2-year colleges. Fifteen percent began college at private not-for-profit 4-year non-doctorate-granting institutions, and 12 percent at private not-for-profit doctorate-granting institutions. Relatively few students began at private for-profit institutions or other institutions (1 percent each).

College graduates whose parents had more education were more likely than those whose parents had less education to have begun at private not-for-profit 4-year institutions. On the other hand, parents’ educational attainment was inversely related to the likelihood of beginning at a public 2-year institution or a private for-profit institution. In addition, younger students were more likely than older students to have first enrolled at public or private not-for-profit doctorate-granting 4-year institutions and were less likely to have begun at public 2-year institutions.

The majority of bachelor’s degree recipients in 1999-2000 completed the degree at public institutions (figure B). Overall, 65 percent graduated from public institutions, and one-third (33 percent) graduated from private not-for-profit institutions. The remainder, 2 percent, received a bachelor’s degree from private for-profit institutions. A larger proportion completed a degree at public doctorate-granting insti-tutions than at public non-doctorate-granting institutions, but the reverse was true among graduates of private not-for-profit institutions.

Figure A. Percentage distribution of 1999–2000 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients according to first institution type

Figure B. Percentage distribution of 1999–2000 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients according to degree-granting institution type

Some students’ paths to the bachelor’s degree involved more stops along the way than those of other students. Forty-one percent of first-time bachelor’s degree recipients in 1999-2000 reported having enrolled in only one undergraduate institution. An additional 35 percent of all graduates attended two institutions, 16 percent attended three insti-tutions, and 8 percent attended at least four institutions during their undergraduate years. About one-fifth of 1999-2000 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients had obtained a certificate or an associate’s degree prior to completing the bachelor’s degree (2 percent had a certificate, and 17 percent had an associate’s degree). In addition, many students took at least 4 months off from postsecondary enrollment before completing the degree. While a majority (64 percent) of 1999-2000 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients did not stop out, 11 percent took off 4-11 months, 6 percent took off 12-23 months, 4 percent took off 24-35 months, and 16 percent interrupted their enrollment for at least 36 months.

Most students who decide to enroll in college do so within 1 year of completing high school (U.S. Department of Education 2001). For those who delay entering college, however, the time to bachelor’s degree completion might be reflected more accurately in the time between entering postsecondary education and completing a bachelor’s degree. This report examines three time periods: the time between high school completion and postsecondary entry, the time between high school completion and bachelor’s degree completion, and the time between postsecondary entry and bachelor’s degree completion.

A majority (83 percent) of first-time bachelor’s degree recipients in 1999-2000 enrolled in college less than 1 year after they had completed high school.² Six percent took 1-2 years to enroll in college, and another 5 percent took 2-5 years to do so. Another 6 percent did not enroll in post-secondary education until at least 5 years after they had completed high school. Compared with 1992-93 bachelor’s degree recipients, 1999-2000 college graduates were less likely to enroll in college within 1 year of finishing high school (83 vs. 90 percent).

When considering the total time that elapsed between completing high school and finishing the bachelor’s degree, one-third (33 percent) of first-time bachelor’s degree recipients in 1999-2000 completed a bachelor’s degree within 4 years of their high school graduation.³ Another 23 percent took 4-5 years, 11 percent took 5-6 years, and 15 percent took 6-10 years to do so. About one-fifth (19 percent) took even longer after high school to finish college.

Taking into account the delayed entry of many students and examining only the time between postsecondary entry and bachelor’s degree completion, about two-fifths (39 percent) of 1999-2000 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients took 4 years or less to complete a bachelor’s degree, and 72 per-cent finished in 6 years or less (figure C).⁴ Fourteen percent took more than 10 years to do so. However, compared with 1992-93 bachelor’s degree completers, the 1999-2000 cohort was more likely to complete the degree in 4 years or less (39 vs. 35 percent) and less likely to take 4-5 years between postsecondary entry and graduation (24 vs. 28 percent).

A final component of the analysis was restricted to first-time bachelor’s degree recipients who had not interrupted their postsecondary enrollment longer than 6 months. The average time between postsecondary entry and bachelor’s degree completion for these graduates was 4 years and 7 months (55 months),⁵ and it was longer for graduates of public institutions (57 months) than for graduates of private not-for-profit institutions (51 months).

A number of other factors were related to the average amount of time between postsecondary entry and degree completion. Parents’ educational attainment was inversely related to students’ time to degree: as parents’ education increased, students’ average time to complete a degree decreased. In addition, there was an inverse relationship between students’ cumulative grade-point average and the time it took them to finish a degree. This relationship was found both overall and for graduates of public institutions, but no difference was detected for graduates of private not-for-profit institutions. Delaying enrollment in postsecond-ary education after completing high school was also associated with the time it took students to complete a bachelor’s degree once they enrolled: students who delayed entry took longer to complete a degree once enrolled. Finally, those who enrolled in more institutions took longer to complete a degree, even when graduates who had extended enrollment interruptions between institutions were excluded. For example, graduates who attended only one institution completed the degree in an average of 4 years and 3 months (51 months), while those who at-tended two institutions took about 8 months longer, on average (59 months).

Figure C. Percentage distribution of 1992–93 and 1999–2000 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients according to time between postsecondary entry and bachelor’s degree completion

The table compendium of the full report provides information about many other aspects of the lives of 1999-2000 graduates after college. Many graduates had families and independent households by spring of 2001. While about two-thirds (66 percent) had never been married, 30 percent were married as of 2001. In addition, 9 percent had one child, and another 10 percent had two or more children. Approximately one-quarter (24 percent) owned their own homes, and 16 percent were living with their parents. Most graduates (69 percent) resided in the same state where they had received a bachelor’s degree. While 57 percent lived less than 50 miles from the high schools they had attended, 15 percent lived 500 miles or more away.

A majority (87 percent) of 1999-2000 bachelor’s degree recipients were working in 2001: about three-quarters (77 percent) were working full time and another 11 percent were working part time. Five percent were unemployed. Among those who were employed, business and education were the most common occupations: one-quarter (25 per-cent) worked in business and management, while 18 percent were educators (including K-12 teachers and other instructors). Overall, graduates earned, on average, $33,100, with a median annual salary of $29,800. A majority (71 percent) of those who were employed considered their current job to be the start of their career. Twenty-two percent of graduates had an occupational license, and 11 percent had a professional certification.

Some 1999-2000 graduates carried debt burden from their undergraduate education. Sixty-two percent of graduates had borrowed to help pay for their undergraduate education. Among these, the average amount borrowed was $17,800, of which an average of $15,100 was still owed as of 2001.

About one-fifth (22 percent) of all bachelor’s degree recipients had enrolled in a graduate or advanced degree program since completing the bachelor’s degree. As of 2001, 14 per-cent were currently enrolled full time in some kind of de-gree or certificate program, including both undergraduate and graduate programs. Of those who had enrolled in graduate school, 74 percent were enrolled in a master’s de-gree program. One-half (50 percent) of 1999-2000 college graduates had not yet applied to graduate school but planned to attend in the future.

Beyond employment and enrollment, 1999-2000 bachelor’s degree recipients were also active members of their communities. Forty-three percent reported doing community service in the year since completing college, with 8 percent reporting tutoring or educational work with kids and 11 percent reporting other volunteering with kids.

Berkner, L., He, S., and Cataldi, E.F. (2002). Descriptive Summary of 1995-96 Beginning Postsecondary Students: Six Years Later (NCES 2003-151). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

McCormick, A.C., and Horn, L.J. (1996). A Descriptive Summary of 1992-93 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients 1 Year Later, With an Essay on Time to Degree (NCES 96-158). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Snyder, T.D., and Hoffman, C.M. (2002). Digest of Education Statistics 2001 (NCES 2002-130). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2001). The Condition of Education 2001 (NCES 2001-072). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

¹This number includes multiple degrees awarded to the same students.

²For ease of reading, "less than 1 year" refers to postsecondary enrollment in 11 months or less; "1-2 years" refers to enrollment in 12-23 months; "2-5 years" refers to enroll-ment in 24-59 months; and "at least 5 years" refers to enrollment in 60 months or more after high school completion.

³"Within 4 years" refers to completion of the bachelor’s degree in 48 months or less after high school completion; "4-5 years" refers to 49-60 months; "5-6 years" refers to 61-72 months; and "6-10 years" refers to 73-120 months.

⁴The phrase "4 years or less" refers to completion of the bachelor’s degree in 48 months or less from postsecondary entry; "4-5 years" refers to completion in 49-60 months; "up to 6 years" or "6 years or less" refers to completion in 72 months or less; and "more than 10 years" refers to completion in more than 120 months.

⁵The mean for all 1999-2000 bachelor’s degree recipients was 6 years and 9 months (81 months), with a median of 4 years and 7 months (55 months).