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Trends: College Graduation

The primary indicator for college completion is the percentage of young adults enrolled in college or who have completed college (source: Kids Count Data Center ). This is a good high-level measure for states because it includes all types of students and graduates, whether they attended full- or part-time, whether they transferred multiple times or attended a single institution, and whether they attended public or private institutions.

To view or compare state data, select up to six jurisdictions below and click "View Data."

View Data

United States
Alabama Louisiana Oklahoma
Alaska Maine Oregon
Arizona Maryland Pennsylvania
Arkansas Massachusetts Puerto Rico
California Michigan Rhode Island
Colorado Minnesota South Carolina
Connecticut Mississippi South Dakota
Delaware Missouri Tennessee
District of Columbia Montana Texas
Florida Nebraska Utah
Georgia Nevada Vermont
Hawaii New Hampshire Virgin Islands
Idaho New Jersey Virginia
Illinois New Mexico Washington
Indiana New York West Virginia
Iowa North Carolina Wisconsin
Kansas North Dakota Wyoming
Kentucky Ohio

Additional Measures. See other important state-level indicators that show how well higher education is serving the total population, the economy, and new high school graduates

Too Many Students Do Not Complete College. According to the National Center for Education Statistics , “approximately 57 percent of first-time students seeking a bachelor's degree or its equivalent and attending a four-year institution full time in 2001–02 completed a bachelor's degree or its equivalent at that institution in six years or less.”