Graduation rates for all of the top 20 four-year private nonprofit colleges were above 90 percent, compared with six above 90 percent for the top 20 four-year public institutions. Only one four-year for-profit institution had a graduation rate above 90 percent. Among sectors, two-year for-profit colleges had the highest median graduation rate, and two-year public colleges had the lowest.
4-year public colleges
| 1. | U. of Virginia | 93.3% |
| 2. | U. of California at Berkeley | 91.6% |
| 3. | U. of California at Los Angeles | 91.1% |
| 4. | U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 90.2% |
| 5. | College of William & Mary | 90.2% |
| 6. | U. of Michigan at Ann Arbor | 90.1% |
| 7. | U. of California at Irvine | 88.1% |
| 8. | U. of California at San Diego | 87.3% |
| 9. | U. of Florida | 86.5% |
| 10. | U. of Maryland at College Park | 86.4% |
| 11. | U.S. Naval Academy | 85.9% |
| 12. | Pennsylvania State U. at University Park | 85.7% |
| 13. | U. of California at Davis | 85.4% |
| 14. | U. of Georgia | 85.3% |
| 15. | U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 85.2% |
| 15. | U. of Wisconsin at Madison | 85.0% |
| 17. | Georgia Institute of Technology | 84.8% |
| 18. | College of New Jersey | 84.6% |
| 19. | U. of Washington | 84.1% |
| 20. | Virginia Tech | 83.5% |
| | Median for 573 institutions | 48.6% |
4-year private nonprofit colleges
| 1. | Harvard U. | 97.6% |
| 2. | Princeton U. | 96.8% |
| 3. | Yale U. | 96.8% |
| 4. | U. of Notre Dame | 96.6% |
| 5. | Robert Morris U. Illinois | 96.5% |
| 6. | Brown U. | 96.0% |
| 7. | Williams College | 95.6% |
| 8. | U. of Pennsylvania | 95.3% |
| 9. | Columbia U. | 95.2% |
| 10. | Amherst College | 95.1% |
| 11. | Duke U. | 95.0% |
| 12. | Carleton College | 94.5% |
| 13. | Middlebury College | 94.4% |
| 14. | Wesleyan U. (Conn.) | 94.4% |
| 15. | Pomona College | 94.3% |
| 16. | Dartmouth College | 94.1% |
| 17. | Georgetown U. | 93.9% |
| 18. | Swarthmore College | 93.9% |
| 19. | Stanford U. | 93.9% |
| 20. | Colby College | 93.7% |
| | Median for 962 institutions | 57.6% |
4-year for-profit colleges
| 1. | Monroe College (N.Y.) | 90.3% |
| 2. | Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising at Los Angeles | 80.3% |
| 3. | International Business College at Fort Wayne (Ind.) | 76.0% |
| 4. | School of Visual Arts | 68.7% |
| 5. | Bob Jones U. | 63.1% |
| 6. | Southern California Institute of Technology | 60.8% |
| 7. | Brooks Institute | 57.6% |
| 8. | Neumont U. | 56.4% |
| 9. | LIM College | 55.8% |
| 10. | Nossi College of Art | 52.0% |
| 11. | DigiPen Institute of Technology | 50.4% |
| 12. | Art Institute of Tennessee at Nashville | 49.2% |
| 13. | Daniel Webster College | 48.5% |
| 14. | McNally Smith College of Music | 47.3% |
| 15. | Expression College for Digital Arts | 46.6% |
| 16. | Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design | 45.8% |
| 17. | Illinois Institute of Art at Schaumburg | 45.3% |
| 18. | Art Institute of California at San Diego | 44.1% |
| 19. | Full Sail U. | 43.1% |
| 20. | Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale | 42.7% |
| | Median for 133 institutions | 27.4% |
2-year public colleges
| 1. | Carver Career Center | 88.4% |
| 2. | Lake Area Technical Institute | 79.4% |
| 3. | North Central Kansas Technical College | 79.3% |
| 4. | Lancaster County Career and Technology Center | 76.5% |
| 5. | Salina Area Technical College | 76.5% |
| 6. | Frontier Community College | 76.3% |
| 7. | Central Louisiana Technical Community College | 71.8% |
| 8. | Pamlico Community College | 71.6% |
| 9. | Hacienda La Puente Adult Education | 70.6% |
| 10. | Mitchell Technical Institute | 70.0% |
| 11. | Linn State Technical College | 63.5% |
| 12. | Alexandria Technical and Community College | 63.5% |
| 13. | Foothill College | 62.2% |
| 14. | De Anza College | 62.1% |
| 15. | Olney Central College | 60.6% |
| 16. | Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College | 59.1% |
| 17. | Lakeshore Technical College | 58.3% |
| 18. | Northwest Kansas Technical College | 57.7% |
| 19. | Flint Hills Technical College | 57.4% |
| 20. | East San Gabriel Valley Regional Occupational Program and Technical Center | 57.3% |
| | Median for 889 institutions | 22.9% |
2-year for-profit colleges
| 1. | North-West College-West Covina | 99.4% |
| 2. | Professional Golfers Career College | 96.1% |
| 3. | Penn Commercial Business/Technical School | 93.9% |
| 4. | Prism Career Institute at Upper Darby (Pa.) | 93.2% |
| 5. | Swedish Institute-College of Health Sciences | 92.9% |
| 6. | Advanced College | 92.0% |
| 7. | Bryan U. at Columbia (Mo.) | 90.1% |
| 8. | Triangle Tech at Greensburg (Pa.) | 89.6% |
| 9. | Dean Institute of Technology | 88.9% |
| 9. | Ross Medical Education Center at Granger (Ind.) | 88.9% |
| 11. | Laurus College | 88.3% |
| 12. | National Career College | 88.2% |
| 13. | College of Business and Technology-Flagler (Fla.) | 87.2% |
| 14. | Advanced Training Associates | 86.9% |
| 15. | Florida Education Institute | 86.4% |
| 16. | Advanced Computing Institute | 86.4% |
| 17. | Minneapolis Business College | 86.1% |
| 18. | Florida College of Natural Health at Pompano Beach | 85.8% |
| 19. | College of Business and Technology at Hialeah (Fla.) | 85.7% |
| 20. | Colorado School of Trades | 85.3% |
| | Median for 384 institutions | 60.4% |
Note: Only degree-granting U.S. colleges participating in Title IV federal financial-aid programs, with at least 50 students in the degree-seeking cohort, are included. At four-year colleges, graduation rates reflect the percentage of first-time, full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered in the fall of 2009 and completed bachelor’s or equivalent degrees at the same institution within six years (by August 31, 2015). At two-year colleges, graduation rates reflect the percentage of first-time, full-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students who entered in the fall of 2012 and completed an associate degree or earned a certificate at the same institution within three years (by August 31, 2015). Students who transferred and then graduated from another institution are not counted in the data as having graduated. Percentages are rounded, but ranks are ordered on the basis of unrounded figures. Tied institutions are listed alphabetically.
Source: Chronicle analysis of U.S. Department of Education data
