GRADUATION RATE Next, you should consider a school’s graduation rate as a factor. You can use College Scorecard to learn about the different ways degree-granting and nondegree-granting schools determine graduation rates. You may want to attend a school that has a high graduation rate. A school’s graduation rate gives a good indication of whether students who attend that institution are likely to end up with a certificate or degree. For schools like community colleges, you may also want to look at the transfer rate if you’re planning on transferring to a four-year school after attending a two-year school. Retention rate is the percentage of a school’s first-time, first-year undergraduate students who continue at that school the next year. For example, a student who studies full-time in the fall semester and keeps on studying in the program in the next fall semester is counted in this rate. 2
College Scorecard shows you each school’s graduation and retention rate:
(collegescorecard.ed.gov)
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