Why is Caltech's graduation rate so low?

book_worm
Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:28:02 +0000

Caltech’s graduation rate is around 88% (according to [this](College Navigator - California Institute of Technology)), while MIT’s is 94% ([same source](College Navigator - Massachusetts Institute of Technology)). This contrasts the Ivies which have rates in the very high 90s.

Anyone have an explanation?

I found one possible reason on the MIT site:
“Both MIT and Caltech have comparatively low graduation rates, 89 percent and 83 percent respectively. U.S. News believes that the graduation rate reflects how well a college is educating its students; but could it be that a college with a lower graduation rate is also offering a tougher curriculum for its students, that it offers greater educational value to its students?” - [Counteracting Imperfect Rankings: MIT Should Post School Statistics on the Web for Prospective Students - The Tech](http://tech.mit.edu/V118/N40/sunkavally.40c.html)