Online college search tools should prominently display both four-year and six-year completion rates, disaggregated by race/ethnicity, gender, and Pell eligibility¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 associational), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The report recommends that college data tools show both completion timeframes because most tools emphasize six-year rates and omit the on-time completion information four-year rates provide. It states that "Online college search tools should prominently display both four-year and six-year completion rates" and that disaggregated rates let students judge how colleges serve students like them. Table 1 shows that as of October 2023, several widely used tools report only one timeframe.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Access to institutional data reporting both four-year and six-year completion rates, such as IPEDS graduation-rate components

Constraints¶

• The report notes website information was as of October 10, 2023, and that not all tools provide disaggregation by gender, race/ethnicity, or Pell status

Target Learners¶

• Prospective college students, particularly first-generation and low-income students

Target Learning Goals¶

• Informed college enrollment decisions and timely bachelor's degree completion

Claims¶

• Four-year and six-year completion rates varied widely by college, with gaps between colleges of up to 27 percentage points in four-year rates hidden by similar six-year rates [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Use disaggregated attainment data with an aspiration benchmark to identify where students face barriers and hold institutions responsible for change
• Disaggregate all higher education data by race and income to reveal which student groups have which opportunities and outcomes

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Nagaoka, J., Mahaffie, S., Usher, A., & Arneson, A. (2023). The four years fallacy: Four-year vs. six-year bachelor's degree completion rates. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/the-four-years-fallacy