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Fast FactsTime to degree
Question:
How long does it take students at colleges and universities to complete their bachelor's degrees?
Response:
Forty-four percent of 2015–16 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients completed their degree 48 months or less after first enrolling in postsecondary education. One-half of those age 23 years or younger graduated in 45 months or less, compared with 162 months or less for those age 30 years or older.
| Median and percentage distribution of number of months from first enrollment to bachelor’s degree completion among 2015–16 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients, by demographic and enrollment characteristics: 2017 | ||||||
| Demographic and enrollment characteristics | Median number of months | Number of months from first enrollment to bachelor’s degree completion | ||||
| 48 or less | 49 to 60 | 61 to 72 | 73 to 120 | More than 120 | ||
| Total | 52 (#) | 44.1 (0.48) | 20.0 (0.42) | 9.9 (0.33) | 13.6 (0.37) | 12.3 (0.33) |
| Sex | ||||||
| Female | 52 (#) | 46.2 (0.63) | 18.9 (0.61) | 8.9 (0.41) | 13.1 (0.48) | 12.9 (0.44) |
| Male | 55 (1) | 41.3 (0.82) | 21.5 (0.65) | 11.3 (0.55) | 14.3 (0.61) | 11.5 (0.49) |
| Race/ethnicity1 | ||||||
| White | 52 (1) | 48.3 (0.63) | 20.1 (0.52) | 8.4 (0.38) | 12.1 (0.44) | 11.1 (0.39) |
| Black | 64 (1) | 29.8 (1.64) | 16.6 (1.14) | 13.7 (1.10) | 18.4 (1.38) | 21.5 (1.35) |
| Hispanic | 58 (1) | 30.5 (1.37) | 22.8 (1.36) | 13.1 (1.10) | 19.5 (1.21) | 14.1 (1.08) |
| Asian | 48 (2) | 50.5 (2.07) | 20.4 (1.64) | 11.7 (1.25) | 11.0 (1.41) | 6.4 (1.11) |
| Other or Two or more races | 57 (1) | 41.5 (2.78) | 18.2 (1.75) | 12.1 (2.04) | 13.1 (2.01) | 15.1 (1.89) |
| Age completed requirements for 2015–16 bachelor's degree | ||||||
| 23 or younger | 45 (#) | 65.0 (0.60) | 27.6 (0.57) | 6.3 (0.38) | 1.0 (0.15) | 0.1! (0.03) |
| 24 to 29 | 81 (#) | 4.6 (0.57) | 6.9 (0.65) | 24.2 (1.02) | 55.2 (1.29) | 9.1 (0.75) |
| 30 or older | 162 (2) | 5.4 (0.58) | 4.3 (0.49) | 6.3 (0.84) | 12.0 (0.83) | 72.0 (1.34) |
| Dependency status in 2015–16 academic year2 | ||||||
| Dependent | 45 (#) | 65.4 (0.65) | 26.7 (0.61) | 7.4 (0.42) | ‡ (†) | ‡ (†) |
| Independent | 84 (2) | 13.6 (0.57) | 10.5 (0.51) | 13.6 (0.58) | 32.4 (0.77) | 29.9 (0.78) |
| Control of institution where 2015–16 bachelor's degree was completed | ||||||
| Public | 56 (1) | 39.3 (0.66) | 24.2 (0.59) | 11.7 (0.48) | 14.8 (0.53) | 10.1 (0.44) |
| Private nonprofit | 45 (#) | 59.9 (0.75) | 13.3 (0.56) | 6.5 (0.41) | 9.4 (0.52) | 10.9 (0.53) |
| Private for-profit | 104 (4) | 14.6 (1.02) | 10.6 (0.56) | 8.9 (0.40) | 22.7 (0.69) | 43.2 (1.48) |
† Not applicable.
# Rounds to zero. Standard error of quantile, as estimated by Woodruff method, is zero. Use caution in hypothesis testing.
! Interpret data with caution. Estimate is unstable because the standard error is between 30 and 50 percent of the estimate.
‡ Reporting standards not met either because of sample cell size or the standard error is greater than 50 percent of the estimate.
1 Black includes African American; Hispanic includes Latino; and Other or Two or more races includes American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and respondents who identify as more than one race. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic origin unless specified.
2 Students classified as independent include those age 24 or over and those under 24 who are married, have dependents, are veterans or on active duty, are orphans or wards of the courts, are homeless or at risk of homelessness, or were determined independent by a financial aid officer using professional judgment. Other students under age 24 are considered dependent.
NOTE: Standard errors in parentheses. Estimates pertain to individuals who completed the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in 2015–16 and were awarded their degree by a Title IV eligible postsecondary institution in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico no later than June 30, 2017. This table excludes the 6.0 percent of 2015–16 bachelor’s degree recipients who had earned another bachelor’s degree prior to 2015–16. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2019). Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B:16/17): A First Look at the Employment and Educational Experiences of College Graduates, 1 Year Later (NCES 2019-106), Table 2.
Related Tables and Figures: (Listed by Release Date)
- 2022, Digest of Education Statistics 2021, Table 326.10. Graduation rate from first institution attended for first-time, full-time bachelor's degree-seeking students at 4-year postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity, time to completion, sex...: Selected cohort entry years, 1996 through 2014
- 2022, Digest of Education Statistics 2021, Table 326.20. Graduation rate from first institution attended within 150 percent of normal time for first-time, full-time degree/certificate-seeking students at 2-year postsecondary institutions...: Selected cohort entry years, 2000 through 2017
- 2022, Digest of Education Statistics 2021, Table 326.30. Retention of first-time degree-seeking undergraduates at degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by attendance status, level and control of institution, and percentage of applications accepted: Selected years, 2006 to 2020
- 2021, The Condition of Education 2021: Undergraduate Retention and Graduation Rates
- 2019, The Condition of Education 2019: Postsecondary Outcomes for Nontraditional Undergraduate Students
- 2017, The Condition of Education 2017: First-Time Postsecondary Students' Persistence After 3 Years
Other Resources: (Listed by Release Date)
- 2022, Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B): B&B examines students’ education and work experiences after they complete a bachelor’s degree, with a special emphasis on the experiences of new elementary and secondary teachers.
- 2022, Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS): BPS studies follow students when they first begin their postsecondary education.
- 2022, The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS): IPEDS is a system of surveys designed to collect data from all primary providers of postsecondary education.
- 2020, A 2017 Follow-up: Six-Year Persistence and Attainment at Any Institution for 2011–12 First-time Postsecondary Students
- 2020, Courses Taken, Credits Earned, and Time to Degree: A First Look at the Postsecondary Transcripts of 2011–12 Beginning Postsecondary Students
- 2019, Persistence, Retention, and Attainment of 2011–12 First-Time Beginning Postsecondary Students as of Spring 2017
- 2018, First-Generation Students: College Access, Persistence, and Postbachelor’s Outcomes
- 2016, Persistence and Attainment Among Postsecondary Subbaccalaureate Students
