Profiles of Undergraduate Completers: Acknowledging Alternative Paths

Abstract There is a multitude of studies that have examined graduation rates within the traditional 4- to 6-year time frame. What fails to be captured in these studies are students who are outside the 4- to 6-year time frame. In the present study, we sought to empirically explore a cohort of students who successfully completed their bachelor’s degrees at a Carnegie classified doctoral research, public, 4-year university in the Southwest using a latent profile analysis. Institutional records (N = 14,743) for all undergraduate students who graduated Fall 2011–Summer 2016 are represented in our data, including first-time full- and part-time students, transfer students, and students who previously had stopped out of postsecondary education. Three key indicators were used to describe the classes: time to degree, grade point average, and a number of credits earned. The resulting 5-class solution identified the following classes: on-time graduates, traditional extenders, interrupted extenders, midlife extenders, and determined extenders. Characteristics of the classes and implications are provided.