CHICAGO (MCT) — Getting admitted to a top university isn’t enough. For many students, finishing the mission and getting a degree requires a variety of initiatives, from a rigorous high school curriculum to more advisers, according to a new report released Thursday by the National School Boards Association.

The nonprofit found that only 57.8 percent attending four-year institutions in the U.S. earned a diploma in less than six years; while just 32.9 percent in two-year schools graduate on time. Students are more likely to drop out during their first year than at any other time. Of freshmen at four-year schools, 21 percent did not continue for a second year. In community colleges, 36 percent of freshmen failed to return.