Postsecondary Enrollment, Graduation Rates, and Student Financial Aid

By extending the time students were tracked for program completion from within 100 percent of normal time to within 200 percent of normal time, graduation rates for undergraduates who were full-time, first-time students in 2007 increased from 21 percent to 37 percent at 2-year institutions and from 46 percent to 69 percent at less-than-2-year institutions, according to new data released by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2011; Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2011; and Graduation Rates, Selected Cohorts, 2003-2008 presents preliminary findings from the spring 2012 data collection of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences.

Other findings include:

• In fall 2011, Title IV institutions enrolled 18.6 million undergraduate and 2.9 million graduate students. Of the 18.6 million undergraduates, 57 percent were enrolled in 4-year institutions, 41 percent in 2-year institutions, and 2 percent in less-than-2-year institutions.

• In fiscal year 2011, public 4-year institutions and administrative offices received 19 percent of their revenues from tuition and fees, compared with 29 percent at private nonprofit entities and 90 percent at private for-profit entities. Additionally, 29 percent of expenses at public 4-year entities were for instruction, compared with 42 percent at public 2-year entities and 54 percent at public less-than-2-year entities.

• Approximately 59 percent of full-time, first-time students at 4-year institutions in 2005 who were seeking a bachelor’s or equivalent degree completed a bachelor’s or equivalent degree within 6 years at the institution where they began their studies.