Degree Attainment Soars at Catholic Campuses

A new Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) report shows that students at Catholic colleges and universities enjoy more rapid baccalaureate degree completion than their peers in any other sector of higher education.

Using data provided by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the ACCU report shows how students who began their undergraduate studies in a Catholic institution in 2006 fared after four, five, and six years. Of the first-time, full-time students within Catholic higher education, 54 percent had achieved their baccalaureate degree in four years, with nearly 70 percent doing so in six years. While these figures are comparable to the broader sector of private, four-year institutions (which include Catholic colleges among their total), the rates specific to Catholic institutions are higher than any other sector.

These outcomes translate into real, tangible benefits, the report notes. Federal data show that the average cost of a year of education, after scholarships and grants, at a four-year public campus is $12,800 and at a four-year private institution is $22,620. For every one of our graduates, those are costs avoided— and replaced by earning potential.

Read the full report (PDF)