We have summarized the record and described changing patterns of postsecondary access and choice.
Some students fall short, yet go on to productive careers.
But we live in a credentials-driven economy and labor market. Postsecondary participation has soared during the past quarter century, yet the proportion of college students completing degrees of any kind has remained flat. Given the growing diversity of students and the increasing complexity of their attendance patterns as noted above, stable completion rates may be more than we could have reasonably expected. But we need to do much better. There are wide disparities by socio-economic status and race in who actually receives a degree.