The Graduation Rate Myth and the Equity Gap

Abstract

We demonstrate that improving graduation rates does not cause more students to graduate or increase student success. The underlying presumptions are spurious and misleading, as no causal connection exists between graduation rates and the ultimate number of students who graduate from college. Indeed, increasing graduation rates generate unintended consequences that may increase the equity gap. We use California State University’s (CSU) practices as a case study of the national obsession with graduation rates and include a crucial focus on the differential and adverse impact of those practices. We recommend other goals as better measures of student success, such as increased completion rates and lower attrition rates during the first year of college, especially for first-generation and underrepresented students. Our aim is to encourage those in higher education to refocus their attention on the true aims of a college degree.