Research and Policy Issues
College Degree Completion Status at Year 7
How long does it take to complete a college degree?
For seven years, we tracked the progress of a group of ACT-tested 2003 high school graduates who enrolled in a four-year college in fall 2003.
- Sixty-nine percent had completed an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree within seven years of enrolling.
- Seventy-eight percent had completed a degree or were still enrolled in college seven years later.
- Twenty-two percent were not enrolled in any institution during year 7 and had not completed a degree.
