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<p>Well, my main criticism with your comparison is that you’re comparing data with a pretty big gap. Your former link likely takes data from 2012, and the latter link takes data from up to 2009. So the gap in four-year graduation rates can be explained by different graduating classes.</p>
<p>I think it’s also interesting to see the huge jump your first link notes:</p>
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<p>that extra quarter probably also increases their five year graduation rate. Why they need that extra quarter I don’t know. Maybe it’s due to studying abroad, or maybe it’s due to engineering? A few people I knew in my department chose to take longer to graduate and some chose less time. So I’m not sure why, but for whatever reason, many students stay an extra quarter.</p>
<p>Your second link is also interesting and helps strengthen my earlier point. Asians at UCLA had a 67-77% four-year graduation rate; White students at UCLA had 70-77% 4 year graduation rate; black students at UCLA had anywhere from 40-57% four year graduation rate; and Hispanic at UCLA had a 55-63%</p>
<p>So as I noted in an earlier post, taking first-generation college students or students from low-income families (which are disproportionately black and hispanic) probably lowers four-year graduation rates.</p>