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Colleges With the Greatest Improvements in 6-Year Graduation Rates, 2011-15

Almanac 2017
August 13, 2017

Of the 20 four-year public institutions whose graduation rates within 150 percent of normal time climbed the most, six raised their rates from below 50 percent to 50 percent or above. Seven of the 20 private nonprofit colleges with the largest percentage-point increases did the same.

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Of the 20 four-year public institutions whose graduation rates within 150 percent of normal time climbed the most, six raised their rates from below 50 percent to 50 percent or above. Seven of the 20 private nonprofit colleges with the largest percentage-point increases did the same.


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4-year public institutions

RankInstitution2005 subcohort2009 subcohort2011 graduation rate2015 graduation ratePercentage-point increase
1. U. of South Florida 3,926 3,752 51.7% 68.4% 16.7
2. California State U.-Monterey Bay 540 944 37.8% 53.4% 15.6
3. U. of Maine at Presque Isle 181 155 30.4% 45.8% 15.4
4. Louisiana State U. at Alexandria 149 146 12.8% 27.4% 14.6
5. Florida International U. 3,967 2,946 43.4% 57.8% 14.4
6. Pennsylvania State U.-New Kensington 148 148 40.5% 54.1% 13.5
7. U. of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College 823 1,333 19.1% 32.3% 13.3
8. California State U. at Long Beach 4,241 3,473 54.0% 67.0% 13.0
9. California State Polytechnic U. at Pomona 3,089 2,728 50.3% 62.9% 12.5
10. California State U. at Fullerton 3,816 3,842 50.1% 61.9% 11.9
11. Indiana U.-Purdue U. at Indianapolis 2,211 2,624 32.9% 44.7% 11.8
12. Colorado Mesa U. 828 963 28.4% 39.9% 11.5
13. U. of Montana Western 190 156 32.6% 43.6% 11.0
14. U. of Massachusetts at Amherst 4,397 4,106 67.4% 78.3% 10.9
15. Peru State College 213 227 25.8% 36.6% 10.7
16. U. of North Alabama 982 1,064 27.4% 37.8% 10.4
17. San Jose State U. 2,439 2,621 46.4% 56.8% 10.4
18. California State U.-Dominguez Hills 705 1,069 24.4% 34.7% 10.3
19. State U. of New York Maritime College 247 355 46.6% 56.6% 10.1
20. Central Connecticut State U. 1,333 1,277 47.3% 57.3% 10.1

4-year private nonprofit institutions

RankInstitution2005 subcohort2009 subcohort2011 graduation rate2015 graduation ratePercentage-point increase
1. Newman U. 181 174 28.2% 50.0% 21.8
2. College of the Ozarks 239 244 53.6% 73.4% 19.8
3. Otis College of Art and Design 171 171 52.0% 71.3% 19.3
4. McPherson College 107 136 45.8% 64.7% 18.9
5. Cornerstone U. 313 315 44.4% 61.3% 16.9
6. Talladega College 135 240 20.0% 36.7% 16.7
7. Madonna U. 185 178 45.4% 61.2% 15.8
8. Marietta College 387 386 51.2% 66.3% 15.2
9. Davenport U. 180 374 25.0% 39.8% 14.8
10. Illinois College 256 224 56.6% 71.4% 14.8
11. Seton Hill U. 333 301 44.7% 59.5% 14.7
12. Mount Saint Mary’s U. (Calif.) 177 210 51.4% 65.7% 14.3
13. Immaculata U. 296 198 55.4% 69.7% 14.3
14. U. of St. Thomas (Tex.) 289 284 43.9% 58.1% 14.2
15. Dillard U. 490 321 24.5% 38.3% 13.8
16. Lancaster Bible College 101 115 58.4% 72.2% 13.8
17. Avila U. 154 118 41.6% 55.1% 13.5
18. Bethel College (Ind.) 310 286 50.6% 63.6% 13.0
19. Holy Cross College 150 121 12.7% 25.6% 13.0
20. Eastern Nazarene College 186 173 53.2% 65.9% 12.7

4-year for-profit institutions

RankInstitution2005 subcohort2009 subcohort2011 graduation rate2015 graduation ratePercentage-point increase
1. Grantham U. 278 183 19.4% 42.1% 22.7
2. Monroe College (N.Y.) 203 423 69.5% 90.3% 20.8
3. Daniel Webster College 192 167 43.2% 48.5% 5.3
4. U. of Phoenix-Maryland 244 111 15.2% 19.8% 4.7
5. Colorado Technical U. Online 787 136 9.5% 14.0% 4.4
6. Academy of Art U. 510 854 34.5% 38.9% 4.4
7. LIM College 188 242 52.1% 55.8% 3.7
8. Grand Canyon U. 169 223 30.8% 33.6% 2.9
9. Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale 178 241 39.9% 42.7% 2.9
10. Illinois Institute of Art at Chicago 468 168 30.8% 33.3% 2.6

Note: Graduation rates are based on students’ completion of their degrees within 150 percent of the normal time, which is usually six years for a bachelor’s degree. The 2015 subcohort of first-time, full-time undergraduates who were seeking bachelor’s or equivalent degrees when they entered college in the fall of 2009 were considered to have graduated within 150 percent of the expected time if they earned a degree by August 31, 2015. The 2011 subcohort, who entered college in the fall of 2005, were considered to have completed in that time frame if they earned a degree by August 31, 2011. Students who were no longer enrolled because of death or total disability, service in the armed forces or a federal foreign-aid service, or service in an official church mission were excluded from the initial subcohorts. Colleges with fewer than 100 students in either subcohort were excluded from the table. Percentages and percentage points were rounded, but colleges were ranked before rounding.

Source: Chronicle analysis of U.S. Department of Education data

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A version of this article appeared in the August 18, 2017, issue.
Read other items in this Students package.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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