Time to degree

Question:
How long does it take students at colleges and universities to complete their bachelor's degrees?

Response:
The median time it took for 2008 bachelor’s degree recipients to earn their degree was 52 months. Forty-four percent of 2007–08 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients completed a bachelor’s degree within 48 months of their initial postsecondary enrollment, another 23 percent within 49–60 months, and an additional 9 percent within 61–72 months.

By institutional control, the median time to earn a degree was 55 months for 2008 bachelor's degree recipients graduating from public institutions, 45 months for graduates of private nonprofit institutions, and 103 months for graduates of private for-profit institutions.

Graduates who started at a 2-year public institution and subsequently obtained a bachelor’s degree had a median time to degree of 63 months. Bachelor’s degree recipients who delayed entry into postsecondary education had a median time of 80 months.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2011). 2008–09 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:08/09): A First Look at Recent College Graduates (NCES 2011-236), Table 3.

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2012, Digest of Education Statistics 2011, Table 345. Graduation rates of first-time postsecondary students who started as full-time degree-seeking students, by sex, race/ethnicity, time btwn starting & graduating, & lvl & ctrl of inst. where student started: Selected cohort entry years, 1996-2007
  

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2012, Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B) examines students’ education and work experiences after they complete a bachelor’s degree, with a special emphasis on the experiences of new elementary and secondary teachers.
  
• 2012, Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS): BPS studies follow students when they first begin their postsecondary education.