You asked, for the last five years, how many Connecticut high school graduates (1) went to college and (2) earned a college degree within six years of graduating high school.

CONNECTICUT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES ATTENDING COLLEGE

Table 1 illustrates the percentage of new Connecticut high school graduates attending college for the years 1995 through 2000, the most recent years for which data is available.

Table 1. Connecticut High School Graduates Attending College

Source: Connecticut Department of Higher Education's School Profiles

CONNECTICUT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GRADUATING COLLEGE

The State Department of Education does not track the number of Connecticut high school students earning college degrees within six years of graduating high school, nor does the Department of Higher Education. But the University of Connecticut (UCONN) and the Connecticut State University (CSU) system compile statistics on the percentages of their students earning degrees within six years of entering the institution. In 2001, 74% of freshmen entering UCONN and 90% of freshmen starting at CSU were Connecticut residents. These numbers have been relatively constant in recent years, although the percentage of Connecticut residents at UCONN is on the decline. Table 2 shows UCONN's six-year graduation rate for the Storrs campus. Table 3 illustrates the CSU system's six-year graduation rate from 1997 through 2000, the most recent years for which data is available.

Table 2. Six-Year Graduation Rate for UCONN-Storrs

Source: Connecticut Department of Higher Education

Table 3. Six-Year Graduation Rate for CSU System

Source: Connecticut Department of Higher Education

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