Last week, U.S. News & World Report released its rankings of the best universities in the country. The schools at the top of the list are all household-names. Princeton University earned first-place while Harvard University, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Chicago and Yale University follow closely.
All of these schools have a crucial thing in common: sky-high graduation rates. Prospective students often overlook graduation rates when they are considering colleges, but they can be incredibly important measures of a school's quality and cost.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, just 40 percent of first-time full-time students earn a bachelor's degree in four years, and only 59 percent earn their bachelor's in six years. With more than half of students struggling to graduate in four years, most students are forced to take — and pay for — extra years of college.
Here are the six-year graduation rates at the six best schools in the country according to U.S. News:
3. Columbia University (tie)
Total undergraduate enrollment: 6,113
Tuition and fees (2017-2018): $57,208
Average first-year student retention rate: 99 percent
Graduation rate: 96 percent
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (tie)
Total undergraduate enrollment: 4,524
Tuition and fees (2017-2018): $49,892
Average first-year student retention rate: 99 percent
Graduation rate: 94 percent
3. University of Chicago (tie)
Total undergraduate enrollment: 5,941
Tuition and fees (2017-2018): $54,825
Average first-year student retention rate: 99 percent
Graduation rate: 93 percent
3. Yale University (tie)
Total undergraduate enrollment: 5,472
Tuition and fees (2017-2018): $51,400
Average first-year student retention rate: 99 percent
Graduation rate: 97 percent
2. Harvard University
Total undergraduate enrollment: 6,710
Tuition and fees (2017-2018): $48,949
Average first-year student retention rate: 97 percent
Graduation rate: 96 percent
1. Princeton University
Total undergraduate enrollment: 5,400
Tuition and fees (2017-2018): $47,140
Average first-year student retention rate: 98 percent
Graduation rate: 97 percent
There are many reasons why college graduation rates in the United States are so low. Financial barriers can force students to take time away from their studies. At large universities, many students struggle to even get into classes they need to take in order to graduate. Students who come to college under-prepared may find themselves overwhelmed by the rigor of college and often drop out if they can't find adequate support from their school.
These top schools keep students enrolled by offering generous financial aid, maintaining high faculty-to-student ratios and small class sizes and offering high-quality support services to students.
Considering colleges with high four-year graduation rates is a good way to make sure that you choose a school that supports students and that your financial investment is going to pay off on schedule. Looking at graduation rates over six years can also be helpful, because the only thing that is worse than taking on student debt and not graduating on time is taking on student debt and not graduating at all.
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