Media, luxury and education
Completion rate
The share of learners who finish the course or program they started.
Last reviewedWhat does Completion rate mean?
Completion rate is the number of learners who finish a course or program divided by the number who started it. It matters most in online learning and higher education. Research on the free online courses (MOOCs) run by Harvard and MIT has found completion rates in the single digits, while paid, cohort-based and mentored programs usually do much better. Example: 5,000 people enroll in an online course and 400 finish, a completion rate of 8 percent. Low completion hurts learning outcomes, reviews and renewals, and it is a warning sign when judging an edtech business.
Where does it come up in case interview prep?
Related terms
- Re-enrolment rateThe share of eligible students who return to the same school or course the next year.
- Churn and retentionThe share of customers who leave in a period, and the share who stay.
- Payer conversionThe share of users who pay for something in a period.
- SVOD and AVODStreaming paid for by subscription (SVOD) versus paid for by advertising (AVOD).
- Fill rate (advertising)The share of available ad slots that are actually sold and shown.
- Content amortizationSpreading the cost of films and shows as an expense over the years they are expected to earn.
- ARPPU (average revenue per paying user)Revenue divided by only the users who pay, not all users.
- DAU/MAU ratioDaily active users divided by monthly active users: how often people come back.