Graduation rates at the University of Colorado at Boulder are the highest in decades and, contrary to popular belief, most graduating students are earning their degrees in four years, university officials said.
Sixty-eight percent of students who enrolled in 1997 as full-time freshmen at CU-Boulder graduated within six years, according to university statistics. And of those students who graduated within six years, more than half -- 54 percent -- graduated within four years.
The 68 percent six-year graduation rate is the highest such rate recorded at the university since 1980, the year officials began tracking graduation rates in this format, according to Lou McClelland, director of institutional analysis.
"The new high was set through steady, incremental increases during the last five years, not through a dramatic jump," McClelland said. She added that organizations such as the NCAA and the federal government commonly make comparisons using six-year graduation rates.
Statistics from the class that entered in 1997 also help dispel the popular misconception that it is difficult or impossible to earn a degree in four years, officials said.
"Some people say it's impossible or nearly impossible, and that's just not correct," said Michael Grant, associate vice chancellor for undergraduate education. "That perception is a real common phenomenon that I run into frequently with parents and students.
"Of those students who finish degrees at CU, the majority do it in four years," Grant said. "It's a straightforward piece of data that should be more widely understood."
University statistics confirm that since 1991, more than half of the students receiving bachelor's degrees within six years have actually finished in four years or less.
"We'd like perfect graduation rates -- so that every student who comes to CU-Boulder graduates," Grant said. "We're a long way from that kind of ideal. But it looks to me like we're doing better and better, and that's a good thing."
To view graphs and charts detailing CU-Boulder graduation rates from 1991 with updates through summer 2003, visit .