More Americans are earning college degrees, but not fast enough to meet ambitious college completion goals, concludes a new College Board report.
Currently, 41.1 percent of adults ages 25 to 34 have an associate degree or higher, up from 38.1 percent in 2000. At this pace, 46 percent of young adults will hold a degree by 2025. College Board’s goal is 55 percent. President Obama is shooting for 60 percent by 2020.
Among young adults, 69.1 percent of Asians, 48.7 percent of whites, 29.4 percent
of blacks and 19.2 percent of Hispanics have an associate degree or higher. Younger Asians and whites are more educated than their elders, while younger blacks and Hispanics are not.
A College Board commission in 2008 suggested 10 ways to boost completion rates, notes College Bound. The 2011 report found progress in preschool and kindergarten enrollment, high school graduation rates, simplification of the college-admissions process and high school standards.
However, there was little change in graduation rates.
Although persistence rates are up for full-time college students, three-year graduation rates for associate-degree-seeking students (34.1 percent) and six-year completion rates for bachelor-degree-seeking students (57.7 percent) have been relatively unchanged.
. . . Among the other recommendations the College Board suggests to help boost completion: Improve middle and high school college counseling, provide more need-based financial aid, increase transparency in the financial-aid process, control college costs, reduce college dropouts with data-based retention strategies, and ease transfer processes.
Need-based grant aid increased by 1.7 percent for low-income students at community colleges, the report found.
