Since the 2011 inception of Complete College Georgia (CCG) — a University System of Georgia (USG) initiative to increase the number of students who complete their degrees — the numbers have continued to rise.
During 2022-23, Georgia Tech awarded 4,227 undergraduate degrees of which 3,502 were in STEM fields. The first-to-second-year retention rate for students in the 2022 first-time, full-time freshman cohort was 98%.
Students in the Fall 2019 first-year cohort recorded a record-high four-year graduation rate of 66%, which marks a rise of more than 20% over the past ten years. Georgia Tech continues to exceed the national average graduation rate of 64% for 4-year public institution1.
Our six-year graduation rate also held strong at 93% for the second year in a row. The six-year graduation rate for women within the cohort reached a record high of 94%. Underrepresented minorities within the cohort achieved an 88% six-year graduation rate, the highest on record.
Georgia Tech continues to demonstrate exceptionally high rates of retention for our first-year students, with a 98% first-to-second year retention rate for the second year in a row. Retention rates are a measure of the percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduates from the previous fall who are again enrolled in the current fall. The average retention rate for 4-year institutions is 76%.2
“I remain very proud of the work that so many do to support the success of our students, from admission through graduation " said Steven Girardot, vice provost for undergraduate education. “These accomplishments are not accidental; they are the result of dedicated and strategic efforts, which include living our value everyday that students are the top priority.”
Student engagement in high-impact practices (HIPs) often positively impacts these metrics, especially among historically underserved groups. Georgia Tech offers numerous HIPs, including study abroad opportunities, the first-year seminar, undergraduate research, internships & co-ops, capstone courses and projects, learning communities, and community-based learning. The six-year graduation rate for students in the 2017 cohort who participated in either a co-op, internship, undergraduate research, or study abroad was 98%.
For more information about Complete College Georgia and the Institute’s Completion and Retention Initiatives, visit http://completecollege.gatech.edu
Sources
1. National Center for Education Statistics, Graduation Rate, 4-Year Bachelor's Cohort, Public Institutions. https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/Search?query=&query2=&resultType=all&page=1&sortBy=date_desc&overlayTableId=36024. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
2. National Center for Education Statistics, Retention Rate, 4-year Institutions. https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/trendgenerator/app/answer/7/32 . Retrieved December 19, 2023.