Postsecondary Students’ 3-Year Persistence and Attainment Rate

Postsecondary students seeking a credential below the bachelor’s degree level (subbaccalaureate students) have a lower persistence and attainment rate than those seeking a bachelor’s degree. The National Center for Education Statistics released a new Data Point report today (December 18), entitled Three-Year Persistence and Attainment Among Subbaccalaureate Occupational Students: 2006 and 2014.  This report examines the rate at which postsecondary students remain in school or attain a credential within three years of their initial enrollment—that is, their persistence and attainment rate. Key Findings: The 3-year persistence and attainment rate was lower for subbaccalaureate students than for bachelor’s degree students, but rates were not measurably different between subbaccalaureate students majoring in academic and occupational fields. The persistence and attainment rate increased from the 2003-04 cohort to the 2011-12 cohort; however rates did not measurably increase within different credential-seeking groups. This report uses data from the 2006 and 2014 administrations of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Studies, which were follow-ups to, respectively, the 2003-04 and 2011-12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Studies.