<p>Funny story, you don’t even have to go back that far to see some of the really scary stuff.</p>
<p>Data for the class entering Caltech in Fall 1996:
- Total number of students entering the university: 216
- Total number of students graduating in four years or less (before August 2000): 156 (72.2%)
- Total number of students graduating in five years or less (before August 2001): 177 (81.9%)
- Total number of students graduating in six years or less (before August 2002): 183 (84.7%)</p>
<p>But this isn’t really cause for concern, I think, because it’s getting better. Clearly, if we assume that the rate of change of the four-year-graduation rate is constant, then the current prefroshies here should enjoy a four-year graduation rate of 97.1%. And by the entering class of 2011, more than 100% of entering freshmen will graduate on time! Yay!</p>