The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center recently released new data on the six-year completion rates for students who entered postsecondary education in the fall 2019 semester.
Overall, 61.1 percent of college students who began their postsecondary education in fall 2019 graduated within six years. However, for Black students, just 44.0 percent completed their degree by 2025 – the lowest completion rate among all major racial groups. In comparison, the same figure was 75.7 percent for Asian students, 69.0 percent for White students, 59.5 percent for students of two or more races, and 50.5 percent for Hispanic students. Native American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students had similar – but slightly higher – six-year completion rates compared to Black students, at 45.2 percent and 44.5 percent, respectively.
Despite their comparatively lower completion rate, Black students have made progress in this area in recent years. For students in the fall 2011 cohort, Black students’ six-year completion rate was 38.7 percent, rising steadily until peaking at 44.2 percent for the fall 2018 cohort.
Although the 2018 cohort has a slightly higher six-year completion rate than the 2019 cohort, this is largely due to a greater share of students in the 2019 cohort remaining enrolled after six years, rather than dropping out. As of 2025, 14.3 percent of Black students who enrolled in fall 2019 are still enrolled in college, while 41.7 percent are no longer enrolled. Among the fall 2018 cohort, the same figures were 13.2 percent and 42.5 percent in 2024.
