California Colleges Graduation Rate Summary (2015-2025)
- Graduation Rate Trends:
- Current Rate : The average graduation rate for California four-year colleges is 59%.
- 10-Year Change: The graduation rate has changed by 1%.
- Other Key Indicators:
- Transfer-out Rate: The rate has remained relatively stable over the 10-year period, averaging 14.73%.
- Retention Rate: The rate has been consistently high, with a current rate of 80% and an 10-year average of 78.91%.
- Students to Faculty Ratio: The students to faculty ratio has remained relatively stable over the past decade, averaging 14.64 students for every faculty member.
Graduation Rate Changes
The average graduation rate of the last 12 years is 58.91%, and the current academic year rate is 59%. The following table and chart show the changes of graduation rate at California Colleges over the past 12 years (2014-2025).
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|
| 2014-15 |
58% | 57% | 59% |
|---|
| 2015-16 |
59% | 56% | 62% |
|---|
| 2016-17 |
59% | 56% | 61% |
|---|
| 2017-18 |
58% | 56% | 61% |
|---|
| 2018-19 |
58% | 54% | 62% |
|---|
| 2019-20 |
59% | 56% | 62% |
|---|
| 2020-21 |
57% | 54% | 61% |
|---|
| 2021-22 |
61% | 59% | 63% |
|---|
| 2022-23 |
61% | 59% | 64% |
|---|
| 2023-24 |
59% | 56% | 62% |
|---|
| 2024-25 |
59% | 59% | 62% |
|---|
| Average | 58.91% | 56.55% | 61.73% |
|---|
Transfer-out Rate Changes
The average transfer-out rate of the last 12 years is 14.73%, and the current year rate is 13%. The following table and chart illustrate the change of transfer-out rate at California Colleges from 2014 to 2025.
| Year | Transfer-out Rate |
|---|
| 2014-15 | 15% |
|---|
| 2015-16 | 13% |
|---|
| 2016-17 | 16% |
|---|
| 2017-18 | 14% |
|---|
| 2018-19 | 17% |
|---|
| 2019-20 | 15% |
|---|
| 2020-21 | 13% |
|---|
| 2021-22 | 14% |
|---|
| 2022-23 | 15% |
|---|
| 2023-24 | 17% |
|---|
| 2024-25 | 13% |
|---|
| Average | 14.73% |
|---|
Retention Rate Changes
The average retention rate of the last 12 years is 78.91% for full-time students and 61.45% for part-time students.
The following table and chart show the changes of retention rate at California Colleges from 2014 to 2025.
| Year | Full-time | Part-time |
|---|
| 2014-15 | 79% | 61% |
|---|
| 2015-16 | 77% | 61% |
|---|
| 2016-17 | 79% | 61% |
|---|
| 2017-18 | 80% | 61% |
|---|
| 2018-19 | 78% | 60% |
|---|
| 2019-20 | 82% | 67% |
|---|
| 2020-21 | 78% | 62% |
|---|
| 2021-22 | 79% | 64% |
|---|
| 2022-23 | 78% | 58% |
|---|
| 2023-24 | 78% | 61% |
|---|
| 2024-25 | 80% | 60% |
|---|
| Average | 78.91% | 61.45% |
|---|
Students to Faculty Ratio Changes
The average students to faculty ratio over the last 12 years is 14.64 to 1, and the current academic year ratio is 16 to 1. The following table and chart illustrate the change of students to faculty ratio at California Colleges since 2015.
| Year | Students to Faculty Ratio |
|---|
| 2014-15 | 15:1 |
|---|
| 2015-16 | 15:1 |
|---|
| 2016-17 | 15:1 |
|---|
| 2017-18 | 15:1 |
|---|
| 2018-19 | 14:1 |
|---|
| 2019-20 | 14:1 |
|---|
| 2020-21 | 14:1 |
|---|
| 2021-22 | 14:1 |
|---|
| 2022-23 | 15:1 |
|---|
| 2023-24 | 14:1 |
|---|
| 2024-25 | 16:1 |
|---|
| Average | 14.64:1 |
|---|