The six-year completion rate for undergraduates who started college in 2016 reached 62.3%, the highest level this decade but only 0.1 percentage point above the previous year’s cohort, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. This year’s rate also masks some concerning trends, including falling completion rates among White, Black and Latinx students. Institution types with the highest graduation rates saw declines among the 2016 cohort. Students starting at four-year public colleges had the largest decline, a 1 percentage point drop, lowering their completion rate to 68%. Completion rates for students starting at four-year private nonprofits declined 0.5 percentage points to 77.8%.
