Graduation rate outpaces national average by nearly 20 percentage points
Published on Nov 20, 2025
Newly named a top 200 community college in the U.S., Elizabethtown Community and Technical College has announced new student success rates that show long-term growth in graduation, retention and course completion rates.
“It’s about outcomes. We’re helping more students get here, develop plans for their futures, complete their academic programs and successfully transition to high-demand careers or bachelor’s degree programs,” said ECTC President Dr. Juston Pate.
The college’s graduation rate for 2024-25 is 58.7%, compared to a national average of 39.4% for two-year colleges. The rate measures the percentage of full-time college students — dual credit students are not included — who earn a credential within three years of first enrolling at the college. The new graduation rate is expected to place ECTC in the top 10% of two-year colleges.
The rate is down 0.8% from 2023-24, but the college is maintaining longer term gains. The graduation rate has been on the rise for several years, and it sat at 31% eight years ago.
It’s more than a number to the ECTC faculty, staff, students and the broader college community, Pate said.
“A graduation rate that has nearly doubled looks great on a graph, but how does it look for students and our community? It represents thousands of students who decided to chase their dreams and keep the promises they made to themselves and their families, finding pathways to better lives and making our community a better place,” he said.
ECTC officials noted long-term gains in other outcomes data. For example, the Fall 2024 course success rate climbed to 79.6%, a rate that has increased more than 12 points since 2017.
Student outcomes data led last month to the college’s first invitation to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s premier recognition for two-year colleges.
About 1,000 of the nation’s community colleges were considered, and only the top 200 are eligible to move forward and submit a portfolio for evaluation. Twenty-five semi-finalists will be announced in April. If ECTC advances to that step in the process, an expert team will visit the college not only to evaluate, but also to provide valuable input that is informed by the highest performing community colleges in the U.S.
“To make the Top 200 for the first time in college history is a true honor,” Pate said. “It’s an honor for the entire college and region. I can’t say enough about the innovative work the team at ECTC has done. Add the community support — from the employers who advise our technical programs and hire our graduates to the community organizations that provide wraparound services to our students — and I have no doubt ECTC can be one of the best community colleges in the country.”
