Measuring Up 2002: The State-by-State Report Card for Higher Education
COMPLETION


Texas Arizona Florida California Nevada Oregon Washington Wyoming North Dakota South Dakota Colorado New Mexico Oklahoma Kansas Utah Alaska Hawaii Iowa Wisconsin Montana Idaho Louisiana Mississippi Minnesota Missouri Tennessee Alabama Georgia South Carolina North Carolina Indiana Kentucky West Virginia Virginia Michigan Ohio New York Pennsylvania Maryland Delaware New Jersey Connecticut Rhode Island Massachusetts Vermont New Hampshire Maine Nebraska Illinois Arkansas
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Compare State Performance
Compare States by Contextual Information
Performance Gaps or Change Over Time

COMPLETION
PERSISTENCE
Students Returning
   at 2-Year Colleges
Students Returning
   at 4-Year Colleges
COMPLETION
Bachelor's Degree
   Completion in 5 Years
Bachelor's Degree Completion
   Completion in 6 Years
All Degree Completion

Do students make progress toward and complete their certificates and degrees in a timely manner?

In only a few states do large majorities of first-time, full-time students graduate from four-year institutions within five or six years. The completion of certificates and degrees varies widely among and within states.

Persistence

° In only half of the states do more than 50% of first-year students at community colleges return for their second year.

Completion

° In 27 states, less than half of first-time, full-time college students complete a bachelor's degree within five years of graduating from high school. Similarly, in 24 states, less than half of first-time, full-time students complete a bachelor's degree within six years of enrolling in college.
° Completion at four-year institutions, even in top-performing states, is low-in no state do more than 70% of students complete a degree within five or six years of enrollment.
° In Alabama, 24 certificates and degrees are awarded for every 100 students enrolled. This is more than double the number awarded in Nevada (9) per 100 students.

The completion of certificates and degrees varies widely within states as well:

° For every 100 black students enrolled in Wisconsin, 11 receive a certificate or degree. In comparison, for every 100 white students enrolled, 17 receive a certificate or degree.
° For every 100 Hispanic students enrolled in Illinois, 10 receive a certificate or degree. For every 100 white students enrolled, 16 receive a certificate or degree.

 
Grades measure a state's performance in relation to other states.
A
Alabama, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington
B
Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
C
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia
D
Louisiana, New Mexico
F
Alaska, Nevada
New Hampshire is the top-performing state in completion.