The latest national data on college completion shows a stark picture: the cohort of students who started college in fall 2019, only 61.1% earned a degree or certificate within six years . That figure has hovered between 61.1% and 61.4% since the 2016 cohort. While the pattern of stability shows a trend - it's also a reminder that one-in-three college students never finish . The slight 0.3% dip from the previous year was not driven by a surge in students leaving college altogether. Instead, more students remained enrolled at the six-year mark (9% of the cohort, up 0.4%) suggesting that a portion may still complete in later years. The findings come from the latest Yearly Progress and Completion Report , which tracks all first-time students (full-time and part-time) who entered a U.S. degree-granting institution in fall 2019. Completions at any institution count, including after transfer , offering one of the most comprehensive national views of student outcomes.
