A recent survey shows that 59% of prospective MBA students expected a salary increase of 20% to 50% within five years of graduation. Data from the Graduate Management Admission Council found the median base salary for MBA graduates is $115,000 and other studies show average MBA graduates can expect to double their predegree salary within three years.

Learning and attention issues may be barriers to graduation, according to a report by the National Center for Learning Disabilities. Data show children with such issues may be three times as likely to drop out of school when compared with their peers.

A Texas law suspending exit-exam requirements for high-school graduation allowed more than 5,500 students to "walk the stage" in 2015 who otherwise would not have graduated. Supporters say the provision, which needs lawmaker approval to be continued, helps students with special needs graduate, but critics say the measure is a method to inflate the state's graduation rates.

Some colleges and universities are banding together to form regional campuses to enroll more students who cannot -- for financial or cultural reasons -- travel to far-away campuses. At the Universities at Shady Grove in Maryland, nine state universities are participating and have seen three-quarters of students earn a bachelor's degree in six years, compared with 53% of students in traditional transfer programs, officials said.

California districts fed up with a lack of state guidance are devising their own plans on what to do with students who fail the exit exam yet complete the coursework needed for graduation. Some school systems may issue alternate certificates, but it's unclear how employers would view such a document.