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Decreasing Time to Baccalaureate Degree in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Denning, Jeffrey T.

    (University of Texas at Austin)

  • Eide, Eric R.

    (Brigham Young University)

  • Mumford, Kevin J.

    (Purdue University)

  • Sabey, Daniel

    (Brigham Young University)

Abstract

After increasing in the 1970s and 1980s, time to bachelor's degree has declined since the 1990s. We document this fact using data from three nationally representative surveys. We show that this pattern is occurring across school types and for all student types. Using administrative student records from 12 large universities, we confirm the finding and show that it is robust to alternative sample definitions. We discuss what might explain the decline in time to bachelor's degree by considering trends in student preparation, state funding, student enrollment, study time, and student employment during college.

Suggested Citation

  • Denning, Jeffrey T. & Eide, Eric R. & Mumford, Kevin J. & Sabey, Daniel, 2021. "Decreasing Time to Baccalaureate Degree in the United States," IZA Discussion Papers 14338, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp14338
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    Cited by:

    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Davide Malacrino & Samuel Nocito & Raffaele Saggio, 2025. "Do Reforms Aimed at Reducing Time to Graduation Work? Evidence from the Italian Higher Education System," CESifo Working Paper Series 11979, CESifo.
    3. Mumford, Kevin J. & Patterson, Richard & Yim, Anthony, 2024. "College Course Shutouts," IZA Discussion Papers 16859, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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