Many freshmen finish a bachelor’s degree within four years, but rates vary.

• Just over half (51%) of the state’s freshmen graduate with a bachelor’s degree within four years. This is a marked increase from ten years ago (39%).
• Four-year and six-year graduation rates are highest at the University of California (73% and 86%, respectively).
• At California State University, graduation rates are much lower: only 36% of students graduate in four years; 62% graduate within six years.
• Among private universities, nonprofits have relatively high four-year and six-year completion rates (59% and 74%). Most students who enroll at for-profit colleges (76%) do not graduate within six years.
• Many students attend community college after high school graduation as a low-cost path to a bachelor’s degree; however, after eight years, only 14% earn a degree at UC or CSU.

Longstanding disparities in bachelor’s degree completion persist.

• Asian (83%) and white (74%) students are significantly more likely to graduate within six years compared to their Latino (62%) and Black (50%) peers.
• Completion gaps by race at UC and CSU remain large, especially at CSU; however, CSU has seen the most growth in graduation rates over time for all groups and many campuses have narrowed racial disparities.
• Women are more likely to graduate within six years (72%) than men (68%).
• Freshmen who received a Pell Grant (a proxy for low-income status) are significantly less likely to earn a bachelor’s degree within six years (62%) than their peers (76%).
• College completion varies widely across UC and CSU campuses. Six-year graduation rates for UC freshmen range from 72% (Merced) to 93% (Berkeley), while rates at CSU range from 43% (Dominguez Hills) to 86% (San Luis Obispo). This variation reflects a variety of factors, including entering students’ access to a college prep curriculum and their academic achievement.

Degree and transfer attainment remain low at California Community Colleges (CCC).

• Among students that begin at a CCC, more than 60% declare a degree/transfer goal, yet only one-fifth of transfer-intending students do so within four years; 10% transfer within two years.
• Transfer pathways are expanding: the number of degrees awarded annually through the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT)—a program that prepares students for transfer to any CSU campus—has increased from 11,500 to more than 56,000 over the last decade. As of 2021–22, almost seven out of ten associate-earning transfer students earned an ADT.
• Overall, the typical CCC transfer applicant spends nine terms enrolled in the community college system prior to applying to CSU. However, once they apply, 92% are admitted to at least one CSU campus. Reaching important milestones during their first year at community college, including completing transfer-level coursework and at least 24 units, is correlated with earlier transfer.

Students who transfer to CSU or UC tend to earn a bachelor’s degree.

• A majority of CCC transfer students at CSU (76%) and UC (87%) graduate within four years, a significant jump from the traditional two-year rate (44% and 65%, respectively).
• Transfer students are graduating faster. Two-year graduation rates at both systems have risen significantly over the last ten years—by 16 and 10 points at CSU and UC, respectively.
• Graduation rates among transfers have increased for all student groups, and though disparities persist, they are significantly smaller in magnitude compared to gaps among freshmen.
• Students who earn an ADT graduate faster: CSU transfers with an ADT are more likely to graduate in two (50%) and four years (78%) compared to their peers without an ADT (39% and 74%, respectively).

Improving college completion is critical for economic mobility.

• For Californians, a bachelor’s degree pays off when it comes to future earnings and job quality.
• Low transfer and graduation rates delay completion and are costly. For students, they increase expenses and rates of loan default, and postpone career entry; for colleges, they limit slots for new students.
• Meeting the state’s 70% postsecondary attainment goal by 2030 will require increasing CSU graduation rates and CCC transfer to both UC and CSU.
• Scaling reforms to expand direct access to four-year institutions and streamline the transfer pathway—including direct admissions, dual admissions, full implementation of the ADT and common course numbering, and use of satellite bachelor’s degree programs located at community colleges—could significantly improve degree attainment and economic mobility while helping the state meet workforce demands.