Information Brief 2012-25
Degree Completion Status by Second-Year Re-Enrollment Status
among ACT-tested high school graduates who immediately enrolled in a two-year institution
For seven years, we tracked the progress of a group of ACT-tested 2003 high school graduates who enrolled in a two-year college in fall 2003. This brief focuses on the degree completion status of these students seven years later (through academic year 2009–2010) in relation to the students’ re-enrollment status one year after starting college (in fall 2004).
As shown below:
- Students who returned to the same initial two-year institution in fall 2004 were more likely to complete a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree by the end of year 7 than students who re-enrolled in a different two-year institution in year 2.
- Students who re-enrolled in a four-year institution in fall 2004 were more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree by the end of year 7 than students who re-enrolled in any two-year institution in year 2, and substantially more likely to do so than students who did not re-enroll in any institution in year 2.
- A majority of students who re-enrolled in a four-year institution in fall 2004 and completed a bachelor’s degree bypassed earning an associate’s degree.
- Of students who did not re-enroll in any institution in fall 2004, 70% were not enrolled in any institution during year 7 and had not completed a degree.
Year 7 Degree Completion Status by Year 2 Re-Enrollment Status
| Degree Completion Status | Percent |
|---|---|
| Associate's and bachelor's degrees | 14 |
| Bachelor's degree only | 15 |
| Associate's degree only | 23 |
| No degree, but still enrolled | 15 |
| No degree, not enrolled | 34 |
| Degree Completion Status | Percent |
|---|---|
| Associate's and bachelor's degrees | 5 |
| Bachelor's degree only | 14 |
| Associate's degree only | 18 |
| No degree, but still enrolled | 20 |
| No degree, not enrolled | 43 |
| Degree Completion Status | Percent |
|---|---|
| Associate's and bachelor's degrees | 5 |
| Bachelor's degree only | 49 |
| Associate's degree only | 7 |
| No degree, but still enrolled | 13 |
| No degree, not enrolled | 26 |
| Degree Completion Status | Percent |
|---|---|
| Associate's and bachelor's degrees | 1 |
| Bachelor's degree only | 4 |
| Associate's degree only | 6 |
| No degree, but still enrolled | 18 |
| No degree, not enrolled | 70 |
Note: Percentages do not always sum to 100 due to rounding. Based on National Student Clearinghouse data for a stratified random sample of 5,990 ACT-tested 2003 high school graduates who enrolled in a two-year college in fall 2003. The sample was weighted to be representative of the entire 2003 ACT-tested graduating class who immediately enrolled in college. For students enrolled in multiple institutions in fall 2003, initial institution type was based on the institution from which the student ultimately earned the highest degree by the end of the seven-year study and/or in which the student had enrolled for the greatest number of fall terms during the study. In the sample, less than 1 percent of the students were initially enrolled in more than one institution. Degree certificates were not examined for this study.
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