Record Grad Rates at Cal State

Graduation rates for first-time and transfer students in the California State University system have reached all-time highs, according to a news release.

Timothy P. White, chancellor of the nation's largest system of four-year higher education, credited the gains to Graduation Initiative 2025, a universitywide plan to increase graduation rates while eliminating equity gaps in completion. It focuses on six areas: academic preparation, enrollment management, student engagement, financial support, data-informed decision making and administrative barriers.

The four-year graduation rate for first-time students increased from 19.3 percent in 2015, when the initiative began, to 27.5 percent this year. The two-year graduation rate for transfer students also increased from 30.6 percent in 2015 to 40.4 percent this year.

In 2019, CSU also conferred a record 107,319 bachelor's degrees, making it the second year that more than 100,000 bachelor's degrees were awarded.