NEW STUDY FINDS INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME PREPARES STUDENTS FOR UNIVERSITY SUCCESS

81% of International Baccalaureate students graduated within 6 years of enrolling full-time at a 4-year institution, compared to the national average of 57%

Bethesda, MD, IB, April 21, 2011 -- The International Baccalaureate (IB), in conjunction with SRI International, released the latest research on IB Diploma students’ post-secondary achievement today. The study, part of a series of three, tracks the college enrollment, performance and graduation rates for two cohorts of IB students who completed high school in the United States in 2000 and 2001.

The key findings demonstrate that the majority of these students enrolled full time directly in a 4-year institution (67.1%) rather than a 2-year college (3.8%), and 64.4% enrolled directly into institutions classified as somewhat selective or more selective. At higher education institutions with high IB enrollments, graduation rates for IB students were generally higher than the institutional average. Overall, 81% of IB students graduated within 6 years of enrolling full-time at a 4-year institution, compared to the national average of 57%. To read the full report please visit: www.ibo.org/research/programmevalidation/index.cfm#PostsecondaryUS

“The International Baccalaureate aims to ensure that every IB student graduates high school ready to succeed”, said Drew Deutsch, Director of IB Americas. “We are proud of the results of this research, as they demonstrate that the International Baccalaureate’s challenging Diploma Programme is preparing students for the future.”

Founded in 1968, with 3,204 schools in 140 countries, the IB develops and offers three challenging programmes to over 923,000 students aged 3 to 19 years. The IB encourages students to be active learners, well-rounded individuals and engaged world citizens. It also serves in an educational advisory capacity to other educational organizations. To learn more about IB, please visit www.ibo.org/.

Kind regards,

IB Americas - Communications