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Education in States and Nations: 1991

(ESN) Indicator 24: University completion

The proportion of young people completing bachelor's degrees in the United States and its equivalent in other industrialized countries provides an indication of the skill level of entrants into the U.S. workforce and those of its economic competitors. Even though some graduates migrate across states or nations after graduation, the ratio of college and university graduates to the local population at the graduation reference age (university completion ratio) is an indicator of the skill level of the young adult labor pool in a particular state or country.


Notes on interpretation:

All students completing bachelor's degrees (or the equivalent) in country or state universities are included in the higher education completion figures. That includes students who had lived in other countries or states before attending their university or who moved to other countries or states after attending their university. Some states and countries, particularly those with a relatively large public university system and many private universities, may have a surplus of "in-migrant" students. Other states and countries, particularly those with a relatively small public university system and few private universities, may have a deficit of "out-migrant" students. Among OECD countries, Luxembourg is notable for a deficit of out-migrant students, as most of its university students attend universities in neighboring countries. See Indicator 11 for a migration adjustment across U.S. states, made at the initial point of that migration - when students first enter higher education institutions.

A completion ratio should not be interpreted as a completion rate. Completion ratios allow comparisons across states and nations by standardizing the number of graduates at a particular education level to the size of the population in an age group typical for graduation at that level. It is not, however, an estimate of the percentage of that age group who have graduated. See supplemental note for a discussion of graduation reference age.



Table 23b Achievement and Attainment Indicators Figure 24