College · Family Resources

See who finishes
before you start

A college that graduates 86 of every 100 students and one that graduates 61 can look alike on a tour. Enter each college's four- and six-year rates from the federal data, rate what lies behind them, and see how many students need extra years and how wide the gaps are.

Start a comparisonWhat you get

Comparisons

The worked example is made up: three colleges with six-year rates of 86, 61 and 74 percent, for a student who counts the six-year rate and rates for students like them as must-haves. Use initials or a code.

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What you get

College · Family ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A saved comparison per decision: how much the six-year rate, finishing on time, rates for students like you, a clear path and help to finish matter; each college rated 1 to 5 with its four- and six-year graduation rates; seven questions such as Pell Grant and transfer outcomes marked answered or still to ask; and a next step. The flags rank the colleges, turn each pair of rates into students per 100 who finish and who need extra years, give the spread in six-year rates and flag a must-have rated 2 or lower. A side-by-side table prints.
Who it is for
High school students and families building a college list, and transfer students comparing four-year colleges.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per decision. Prints a side-by-side table with the scores, the full record, every comparison in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Family Resources space in Caveat College.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Look up rates from one federal source.
  2. Find the rate for students like you.
  3. Enter the four- and six-year rates.
  4. Rate what lies behind them.
  5. Print the side-by-side table.

Start a comparison

What a graduation rate counts

Two federal measures of finishingCountsTime allowedGraduation rateFirst-time, full-time4, 6 and 8 yearsOutcome measuresAlso part-time, transferUp to 8 yearsBy groupPell Grant and othersSame as aboveYour majorAsk the departmentOften not publishedTwo federal measures of finishingGraduation rateCounts: First-time, full-timeTime allowed: 4, 6 and 8 yearsOutcome measuresCounts: Also part-time, transferTime allowed: Up to 8 yearsBy groupCounts: Pell Grant and othersTime allowed: Same as aboveYour majorCounts: Ask the departmentTime allowed: Often not published
For a four-year degree, the six-year rate is 150 percent of normal time, the federal standard.

Why six years

The federal graduation rate for a bachelor's degree counts students who finish within 150 percent of normal time: six years. It covers only students who started at that college as first-time, full-time freshmen. The newer outcome measures add part-time and transfer students and follow them for up to eight years.

A fifth year costs twice

An extra year means another year of tuition, housing and food, and a year later into a full-time paycheck. When a college's four-year and six-year rates are far apart, ask why: required courses that fill up, a major that takes longer, or students working many hours.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. College Navigator: retention and graduation rates (nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator).
  2. U.S. Department of Education. College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
  3. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. IPEDS Graduation Rates and Outcome Measures survey components (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
  4. Common Data Set Initiative. Common Data Set, section B: graduation rates (commondataset.org).

The worked example, its colleges and its rates are made up. A graduation rate describes past students, not a promise about any one student. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.