Differences in Persistence Rates in U.S. Higher Education by Gender

A new report from the U.S. Department of Education offers a look at persistence rates of students who entered college during the 2011-12 academic year by examining their status three years later.

We will take a look at gender differences in the persistence rates of entering college students. Three years after entering college in the 2011-12 academic year, 15.7 percent of women had earned a certificate or an associate’s degree by the spring of 2014. For men, 12.8 had earned such a credential. Some 1.5 percent of men and 1.4 percent of women who entered college in 2011-12 had earned a bachelor’s degree within three years.

After three years, 40 percent of women remained enrolled at a four-year educational institution and 15.7 percent were still enrolled in a less-than-four-year institution. For men, 36.9 percent were still enrolled in a four-year institution and 15.4 percent were enrolled in a less-than-four-year institution. More than one third of all men who enrolled in higher education in the 2011-12 academic year were no longer enrolled in higher education in 2014 and had not earned a degree or certificate of any kind. For women, 27.3 percent were no longer enrolled.

The report, Persistence and Attainment of 2011–12 First-Time Postsecondary Students After 3 Years, may be downloaded by clicking here.