Student Success: Understanding Graduation and Persistence Rates

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Student Success: Understanding Graduation and Persistence Rates

August 14, 2003

This issue brief discusses and clarifies some of the conflicting reports on student persistence and graduation from postsecondary education. Institutional reports reporting graduation and retention rates at single institutions do not fully capture the many students who transfer to other academic institutions. Including such transfers reveals much different persistence and completion from colleges in the U.S.

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