Completing a program of study and earning a credential is a mark of student perseverance and success. Student completion rates can tell us how well colleges and universities support students in completing an educational program. A research study by the US Department of Education reported students who completed non-degree certificate programs had higher rates of employment than peers who did not (Burns et al., 2020), and found 52% of students who began a non-degree certificate program completed it within three years. Although this report did not include completion rates specific to students with disabilities, a long-term study of postsecondary completion of students with disabilities at different types of colleges and universities indicated these students completed their various programs of study at lower rates than peers without disabilities (Newman et al., 2011).
This publication reviews exit and completion rates of college students with intellectual disability from three cohorts of TPSID data from 2010-2025.
Bukaty, C. A. & Papay, C. (2023). Completion rates of students attending colleges and universities via a TPSID program. Think College Fast Facts, Issue No. 35. Boston, MA: University of Massachusetts Boston, Institute for Community Inclusion.