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Table B.3.04. OECD: Trends in tertiary graduation rates, by program type and country: 1995 and 2000 to 2008

Country Tertiary-type 5A (first-time graduation)   Tertiary-type 5B (first-time graduation)
1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008   1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
OECD average 20 28 30 31 33 35 36 37 39 38   11 9 10 9 10 9 9 9 11 8
                                           
OECD countries                                          
Australia — 36 44 49 50 51 50 50 49 —   — — — — — — — — 18 —
Austria 10 15 17 18 19 20 20 21 22 25   — — — — — 7 8 7 7 8
Belgium — — — — — — — — — —   — — — — — — — — — —
Canada 27 27 27 27 28 29 29 31 34 —   — — — — — — — — 30 —
Chile — — — — — — — — — —   — — — — — — — — — —
                                           
Czech Republic 13 14 14 15 17 20 25 29 35 36   6 5 5 4 4 5 6 6 5 5
Denmark 25 37 39 41 43 44 46 45 47 47   8 10 12 13 14 11 10 10 11 11
Finland 20 41 45 49 48 47 48 48 48 63   34 7 4 2 1 n n n n n
France — — — — — — — — — —   — — — — — — — — — —
Germany 14 18 18 18 18 19 20 21 23 25   13 11 11 10 10 10 11 11 10 10
                                           
Greece 14 15 16 18 20 24 25 20 18 —   5 6 6 7 9 11 12 12 12 —
Hungary — — — — — 29 36 30 29 30   — — — — — 3 4 4 4 4
Iceland 20 33 38 41 45 51 56 63 63 57   10 6 8 6 7 5 4 4 2 4
Ireland — 30 29 32 37 39 38 39 45 46   — 15 20 13 19 20 24 27 24 26
Italy — 19 21 25 — 36 41 39 35 33   — n 1 1 — n n n — 1
                                           
Japan 25 29 32 33 34 35 36 39 39 39   28 29 27 27 26 26 27 28 28 27
Korea — — — — — — — — — —   — — — — — — — — — —
Luxembourg — — — — — — — — — 5   — — — — — — — — — n
Mexico — — — — — — — — — 18   — — — — — — — — — 1
Netherlands 29 35 35 37 38 40 42 43 43 41   — — — — — — n n n n
                                           
New Zealand 33 50 51 46 49 50 51 52 48 48   12 17 17 18 20 21 21 24 20 21
Norway 26 37 40 38 39 45 41 43 43 41   6 6 6 5 5 3 2 1 1 1
Poland — 34 40 43 44 45 45 47 49 50   — — — n n n n n n n
Portugal 15 23 28 30 33 32 32 33 43 45   6 8 8 7 7 8 9 9 6 2
Slovak Republic 15 — — 23 25 28 30 35 39 57   1 2 2 3 2 3 2 1 1 1
                                           
Spain 24 30 31 32 32 33 33 33 32 33   2 8 11 13 16 17 17 15 14 14
Sweden 24 28 29 32 35 37 38 41 40 40   — 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 6
Switzerland 9 12 19 21 22 26 27 30 31 32   13 14 11 11 12 12 8 10 18 19
Turkey 6 9 9 10 11 11 11 15 — 20   — — — — — — — 11 12 13
United Kingdom1 — 37 37 37 38 39 39 39 39 35   — — 12 12 14 16 17 15 15 16
                                           
United States 33 34 33 32 32 33 34 36 37 37   9 8 8 8 9 9 10 10 10 10
                                           
Non-OECD member countries                                          
Brazil — 10 10 13 15 — — — — —   — — — — — — — — — —
Estonia — — — — — — — — — —   — — — — — — — — — —
Israel — — — 29 31 32 35 36 37 36   — — — — — — — — — —
Russian Federation — — — — — — — — — —   — — — — — — — — — —
Slovenia — — — — — — 18 21 20 20   — — — — — — 24 26 25 26
— Not available.
† Not applicable.
# Rounds to zero.
1The graduation rates for tertiary-type B programs include some graduates who have previously graduated at this level and therefore overestimates first-time graduation.
2 Data represents the rate of graduation from the first institution attended. Transfers are not included.
NOTE: Tertiary-type B education refers to vocational higher education. Tertiary-type A education refers to academic higher education below the doctoral level. Up to 2004, graduation rates at the tertiary-type A or B levels were calculated on a gross basis. From 2005 and for countries with available data, graduation rates are calculated as net graduation rates (i.e. as the sum of age-specific graduation rates). Tertiary graduation rates are calculated either as a net, or cohort, graduation rate or on a gross basis, depending on the country and level of education. The net graduation rate is calculated by dividing the number of graduates at each single year of age, by the population at that age, and summing these over all the ages. Gross graduation rates refer to the total number of graduates (the graduates themselves may be of any age) at the specified level of education divided by the population at the typical graduation age from the specified level. In many countries, defining a typical age of graduation is difficult because ages of graduates vary. For more information on the method used to calculate graduation rates and the corresponding typical ages by country refer to Annex 1 and for more detailed notes by country refer to Annex 3 of Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2009. Apparent differences may not be statistically significant.
SOURCE: Data from Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). (2010). Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2010, table A3.2. Paris: Author.
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