THE AGE OF COLLEGE GRADUATION. 



165 



higher average age of graduation than in the earlier decades, we still 

 find no change of any significance. At the very best, or worst, the 

 change in fifty years past has been only three months. While now, 

 if we may use for the sake of further illustration the available data 

 of the colleges for the decade beginning 1900, we find on an average 

 three months less than that of 1850-59. The colleges included here 

 are those seven which furnished for the decade 1890-99 over 81 per 

 cent, of all graduates, and include all the colleges except New York 

 University, Adelbert College, Middlebury College and Syracuse Uni- 



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versity. It will be noted that all the largest colleges are included, 

 and that of those omitted two are above and two below the average in 

 the decade 1890-99. 



We may now turn from the consideration of the tables to an ex- 

 amination of the plates. Plate I. shows the percentage of students 

 actually graduating at each age — 16 years to 31 years — in which last 

 category are bunched for convenience all graduates of the age of 31 

 years or over — for the two decades 1850-59 and 1890-99, respectively. 

 The upright line on the base in the twenty-second year marks the actual 



