The Federal government, under the Student Right to Know Act, requires that all colleges and universities report the proportion of full-time students who complete programs within 150% of the normal time required for completion. For 51社区, a community college with two-year programs, that time period is three years for associate degrees and proportionately less for certificates.
| Cohort | Number who graduated with a degree or certificate within 150% of normal time | Graduation Rate | Number who transferred to another institution | Transfer rate | ||
| Overall | ||||||
| 51社区 | 1,541 | 800 | 51.9% | 231 | 15.0% | |
| Community Colleges in Illinois* | 23,493 | 9,246 | 39.4% | 4,138 | 17.6% | |
| Gender Disaggregation | ||||||
| Female | 736 | 408 | 55.4% | 106 | 14.4% | |
| Male | 805 | 392 | 48.7% | 125 | 15.5% | |
| Race/Ethnicity Disaggregation | ||||||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| Asian | 225 | 126 | 56.0% | 45 | 20.0% | |
| Black or African American | 52 | 13 | 25.0% | 10 | 19.2% | |
| Hispanic/Latino | 440 | 200 | 45.5% | 56 | 12.7% | |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 8 | 6 | 75.0% | 0 | 0.0% | |
| White | 709 | 397 | 56.0% | 106 | 15.0% | |
| Two or more races | 80 | 44 | 55.0% | 11 | 13.8% | |
| Race and ethnicity unknown | 26 | 14 | 53.8% | 3 | 11.5% | |
| Financial Aid Disaggregation | ||||||
| Recipients of a Pell Grant | 554 | 252 | 45.5% | n/a | n/a | |
| Recipients of a Subsidized Stafford Loan that did not receive a Pell Grant | 10 | 3 | 30.0% | n/a | n/a | |
| Did not receive either a Pell Grant or Subsidized Stafford Loan | 977 | 545 | 55.8% | n/a | n/a | |
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rate Survey
*State totals are from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
for the 2021 IPEDS cohort
- - Values with less than 5 are masked
Completion data released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) in spring 2026 disclose how full-time students who entered 51社区 in fall 2021 compared with other community college students in Illinois. 51社区 students had completed, transferred, or were still enrolled three years later at a higher rate (76.2%) than both the State-wide average (67.1%) and the average for our peer institutions** (67.0%).
If these students were followed for four years rather than three years, the transfer and graduation rates would increase. Three years is a relatively short time frame for community college students, many of whom are working full-time or part-time; others may leave school temporarily for work or family reasons; or they may change their program of study; and some students may require developmental coursework upon admission. All of these factors tend to delay events like graduation or transfer.
**Peer institutions include College of DuPage, College of Lake County, Elgin Community College, Joliet Junior College, Moraine Valley CC, Oakton CC, and Triton CC.