The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or graduate school search.
For some students, getting out of college can be just as difficult as getting in.
A change in majors, a financial setback or other unplanned circumstances can cause students to delay graduation by months or years.
Most undergrads aren’t graduating in four years anymore, data show. Only 59 percent of students who started at four-year schools in the fall of 2006 graduated by 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
[Find out which schools have the most undergrads.]
Undergrads at a few schools, however, are more likely to stick to the traditional four-year timeline.
At Carleton College and Georgetown University, the average four-year graduation rate for full-time, first-time bachelor’s degree-seeking students who started in fall 2008 is 91 percent. These schools had the highest four-year graduation rate among 1,235 colleges and universities that submitted data to U.S. News in an annual survey.
Pomona College, which topped this list in the past with a 92.8 percent four-year graduation rate, barely made the top 10 with a now 90.1 percent rate.
Among the 10 schools with the highest four-year graduation rate, an average rate of 90.4 percent of students finished on time. This rate is almost 50 percentage points higher than the average rate for all schools that submitted data.
[Learn which undergraduate schools receive the most applications.]
The schools with highest graduation rates are also highly ranked. Princeton University, for example, has a 90.2 percent four-year graduation rate and is ranked No. 1 among National Universities. National Universities are committed to ground-breaking research and offer a range of degree options for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students.
Below are the 10 colleges and universities with the highest four-year graduation rate for first-time, full-time bachelor’s degree seeking students who started school in fall of 2008. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| School name (state) | 4-year graduation rate | U.S. News rank and category |
|---|---|---|
| Carleton College (MN) | 91% | 8 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Georgetown University (DC) | 91% | 21 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Notre Dame (IN) | 90.7% | 18 (tie), National Universities |
| Columbia University (NY) | 90.3% | 4 (tie), National Universities |
| Davidson College (NC) | 90.2% | 9 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Princeton University (NJ) | 90.2% | 1, National Universities |
| Washington University in St. Louis | 90.2% | 15 (tie), National Universities |
| College of the Holy Cross (MA) | 90.1% | 32 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Pomona College (CA) | 90.1% | 4 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Colgate University (NY) | 89.7% | 19 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Don’t see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find graduation data, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed nearly 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2015 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The graduation data above are correct as of Nov. 17, 2015.
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10 Colleges With the Highest Graduation Rates originally appeared on usnews.com
