The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has released its 2015 Indiana College Completion Report, showing the number of Hoosiers earning bachelor’s degrees in four years or less has increased by nearly seven percent in the last five years. The report also showed small gains in on-time completion for students earning associate degrees, as well as improvement in every demographic group.

The report focuses on providing a comprehensive picture of college completion in Indiana. Along with examining on-time degrees, the report presents data on completion rates for students who transfer from one college to another, those who take up to eight years to graduate and those who attend college part time.

“We should be encouraged by Indiana’s degree completion gains, especially for our low-income and minority students,” said Teresa Lubbers, Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education. “At the same time, we must not relent in our efforts to advance state policies and campus-level practices that encourage ongoing improvement. Opportunities for Hoosiers without a degree or credential beyond high school are diminishing daily. For individual quality of life as well as for our state’s economic future, it is critical that we dramatically increase education attainment in Indiana.”

Some highlights of the report include:

• The on-time completion rate for full time students at four year colleges increased from 29.4 percent to 36.1. On-time completion rates for full time students at two year colleges increased from 5.1 percent to 5.9 percent.
• Half of all Hoosier students who earn a bachelor’s degree take five to eight years to graduate. More than three quarters of community college students who earn an associate degree take three to six years to graduate.
• The number of students completing bachelor’s degrees in six years or less increased from 62.9 percent to 64.8. Extended completion at two year colleges remained relatively flat.
• On-time completion increased across all demographic groups including low-income and minority students. In particular, 21st Century Scholar students improved on-time graduation by 7.4 percent. However, there was a persistent disparity particularly for black students, who are twice as likely to finish their degrees late as their peers across the state.
• Full time student success rates are significantly higher than part time student success rates. At four year colleges, only 27.6 percent of part time students complete a degree in eight years, compared to 70.5 percent of full time students.
• Transfer students and those who earn a different degree type than what they set out to pursue increase the statewide success rate by 8.2 percent for two year colleges and by 12.8 percent for four year colleges.

The full report includes state-level and campus-specific data profiles and can be viewed online. The college completion report is one of a series of annual reports from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to clearly define the state’s progress preparing Hoosiers for college and the workforce.

Source: Indiana Commission for Higher Education