Long revered for their dedication to equal opportunity and affordability, public universities play a crucial role in building human capital. And yet, less than 60 per cent of the students entering four-year colleges in America today are graduating. Why is this happening and what can be done? Crossing the Finish Line, the most important book on higher education to appear since The Shape of the River, provides the most detailed exploration ever of the crisis of college completion at America’s public universities. This massive project sheds light on such serious issues as dropout rates linked to race, gender and socioeconomic status. Probing graduation rates at 21 flagship public universities and four statewide systems of public higher education, the authors focus on the progress of students in the entering class of 1999 — from entry to graduation, transfer, or withdrawal. They examine the effects of parental education, family income, race and gender, high school grades, test scores, financial aid and characteristics of universities attended (especially their selectivity). The conclusions are compelling: minority students and students from poor families have markedly lower graduation rates — and take longer to earn degrees — even when other variables are taken into account. Noting the strong performance of transfer students and the effects of financial constraints on student retention, the authors call for improved transfer and financial aid policies and suggest ways of improving the sorting processes that match students to institutions.

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