Graduation, Retention & Transfer Rates

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is a system of survey components that collects data from all institutions that provide postsecondary education and are eligible to receive Title IV funding across the United States and other U.S. jurisdictions.

These data are used at the federal and state level for policy analysis and development; at the institutional level for benchmarking and peer analysis; and by students and parents, through the College Navigator (https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/), an online tool to aid in the college search process. Additional information about IPEDS can be found on the website at https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds.

Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates

Graduation rate data provide information on institutional productivity and help institutions comply with reporting requirements of the Student Right-to-Know Act (1990) and the Higher Education Act, amended (2008). Graduation and transfer-out rates data are collected for full-time, first-time degree and certificate-seeking undergraduate students. This information is submitted to IPEDS using the Graduation Rates Survey Form.

• Graduation rates are calculated by determining the total number of completers within 150% of normal time divided by the number of students in the cohort.
• Transfer-out rates are calculated by determining the total number of students who are known to have transferred out of the reporting institution within 150% of normal time to completion divided by the number of students in the cohort. 

Retention Rates

A measure of the rate at which students persist in their educational program at an institution, expressed as a percentage. For community colleges, this is the percentage of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students from the previous fall who either re-enrolled or successfully completed their program by the current fall. This information is submitted to IPEDS using the Fall Enrollment Survey Form.