A recently released Chronicle of Higher Education study found that overall, graduation rates at American higher education institutions have declined by 33 percent since 2002 -- with the recession as a likely cause. 
 
 Below are the 12 public and private research universities with lowest graduation rates.* The Chronicle has a searchable list of all colleges and universities included in their research. 
 
 See the schools with the highest graduation rates here. 
 
 Does this list surprise you? Share your thoughts in the comments section. 
 
 *Some institutions included in the study, such as Golden Gate University and Alliant International University, enrolled few students -- 50 or less -- who were classified as full-time by government criteria and thus eligible for inclusion in the federal survey of graduation rates from 2002 to 2008. These students represent a minority of the institution's total enrollment in certain instances. 
 
 Colleges With The Lowest Graduation Rates ||||| Harvard University boasts the highest undergrad completion rate of all research universities -- a whopping 98 percent of those enrolled in 2002 graduated by 2008, according to a new report by the Chronicle of Higher Education. 
 
 In Graduation Rates Over Time, the Chronicle compared graduation rates at public and private research universities in 2002 and 2008, surveying students who enrolled in 1996 and 2002, respectively. 
 
 On Harvard's heels are Yale University and the University of Notre Dame, with rates of 97 and 96 percent. Among public research universities, the University of Virginia had the highest graduation rate in 2008 at 93 percent, followed by the College of William and Mary and the University of California-Berkeley. 
 
 The Chronicle also found that 33 percent of universities showed a lower graduation rate in 2008 than in 2002. Some institutions suggest that the decrease in graduation rates may be a reflection of students taking longer than six years to earn a degree. 
 
 Below, check out the twelve universities with the highest graduation rates in 2008, and see the Chronicle for a complete list. 
 
 What do you think of these findings? Let us know in the comments section. ||||| 10/5/2011 
 
 1 Adrian College 
 
 2 Austin Community College 
 
 3 Baruch College 
 
 4 Bluegrass Community & Technical College of Lexington Kentucky 
 
 5 Borough of Manhattan Community College 
 
 6 Bradley University 
 
 7 Bronx Community College 
 
 8 Brooklyn College, City University of New York 
 
 9 California State University Long Beach 
 
 10 Champlain College–will be meeting in Hauke Courtyard 
 
 11 Chapman University 
 
 12 City College of New York 
 
 13 College of Staten Island 
 
 14 Collumbia College Chicago 
 
 15 Concordia 
 
 16 CUNY Graduate Center 
 
 17 Duke University 
 
 18 East Carolina University 45. Boise State University 
 
 19 Eastern Michigan 
 
 20 Eastern Washington University 
 
 21 Elizabeth city State University 
 
 22 Hostos Community College 
 
 23 Hunter College 
 
 24 Huston-Tillotson- 10/5 Noon in commons area ( march to UT if you want) 
 
 25 Illinois State University–will be meeting up with Bradley University and Occupying at Bloomington Normal Illinois 
 
 26 Indiana University of Pennsylvania–will be meeting in Oak Grove 
 
 27 John Jay College 
 
 28 Kingsborough Community College 
 
 29 La Guardia College 
 
 30 Lehman College 
 
 31 Lone Star College Tomball 
 
 32 Medgar Evers College 
 
 33 Montana State–will be meeting in lawn South of Montana Hall 
 
 34 Moreno Valley Community College 
 
 35 Mount Holyoke College 
 
 36 North Carolina State University–meet in NCSU Brickyard 
 
 37 Northeastern University 
 
 38 Queens College 
 
 39 Queensborough Community College 
 
 40 Rutgers 
 
 41 Santa Monica College 
 
 42 Sonoma State University 
 
 43 Southern Illinois University at Carbondale–will be meeting at Old Man Quad 
 
 44 State University of New York campuses: 
 
 45 - University at Albany 
 
 46 - Stony Brook University 
 
 47 - University at Buffalo 
 
 48 - Binghamton University 
 
 49 - SUNY Cobleskill 
 
 50 - SUNY Cortland 
 
 51 - Farmingdale State College 
 
 52 - Fashion Institute of Technology 
 
 53 - Purchase College 
 
 54 - SUNY New Paltz 
 
 55 - Erie Community Colleg 
 
 56 St Ed’s 
 
 57 St. Lawrence University in North County 
 
 58 Syracuse University 
 
 59 Texas State University San Marcos 
 
 60 Texas Tech–not confirmed, still a “maybe” 25. Florida Atlantic University 
 
 61 UCLA–will be meeting at Bruins Walk 
 
 62 UNC Charlotte–will be meeting at UNC Bell Tower 
 
 63 University of Colorado Boulder–they are set to “maybe” 
 
 64 university of Connectivut at Storrs 
 
 65 University of Florida 
 
 66 University of Kentucky 
 
 67 University of Maryland–will be meeting at College Park 
 
 68 University of Massachusetts Amherst–will be meeting at Amherst Commons 
 
 69 University of Massachusetts Lowell 
 
 70 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill–will be meeting at Wilson Library 
 
 71 University of Oklahoma–will be meeting in front of S. entrance of Bizell Library 
 
 72 University of Texas Austin–will be meeting outside tower in South Mall 
 
 73 University of Wisconsin-Superior 
 
 74 West Mount College
– Graduation rates at US institutions of higher learning have dropped 33% since 2002, a Chronicle of Higher Education study finds, and the recession may be to blame. The Huffington Post lists the 12 colleges with the lowest graduation rates: Golden Gate University, San Francisco: 10% Alliant International University, San Diego: 11% Idaho State University, Pocatello: 16% University of Arkansas, Little Rock: 21% University of New Orleans, New Orleans: 22% Cleveland State University, Cleveland: 26% Texas A&M, Kingsville: 27% University of Alaska, Fairbanks: 27% University of Texas, El Paso: 31% Indiana University—Purdue University, Indianapolis: 32% Morgan State University, Baltimore: 32% University of Massachusetts, Boston: 33% See the colleges with the highest graduation rates.