The Northern Light

Issue date: 7/25/06 Section: News

As universities' enrollments increase and budgets struggle to keep pace, it is becoming increasingly more unlikely that new students graduate in a timely manner.

According to a 2004 national study by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, fewer students today are completing college in four years than was the case a decade ago. Today, students may take as many as five to six years to earn their bachelor's degrees.

Students who do graduate in the four-year window attest to a high level of planning and personal responsibility.

Despite the slowing trend, there are advantages to completing a degree in four years. Students who graduate in four years can enter the job market sooner as well as begin to pursue educational goals beyond their baccalaureate degrees, such as master's or doctorate degrees.

Ted Malone, director of financial aid at UAA, said that students are more likely to take out large loans if they are taking longer to graduate.

"If you take even just one more year and you're averaging $6,000 to $7,000 a year, that would be an increase of probably in the ball park of $80 a month for your next ten years for your student loan payment," he said. "If you look at loss of income, if you're indeed going to work at a relatively low-paying job for another year (during school), versus getting a full time job in your field where you're starting to accrue toward your long-term earning potential, you may be making $15,000 a year instead of the $40,000 at a new job. You're losing $25,000."

Malone said many younger student borrowers don't consider that an extra year in college could have adverse affects toward far-off financial plans like contributing to a retirement fund.

"Me, being in the mid-40s, I think about that a lot."

Some college institutions are beginning to offer rewards and incentives to students who complete their degree in four years.

In an effort to lower class sizes and tuition costs, the University of Wisconsin-Stout offers its incoming students a four-year degree contract. The contract states that if students agree to do everything necessary to complete their studies in four years, the university will arrange to provide the courses they need to meet all of their degree requirements. If any courses are not available, the university will arrange for the student to either substitute another course or it will pay the tuition for any courses the student is required to complete after the four-year period.

Students at the University of Houston are offered tuition rebates up to $3,000 for completing 30 credit hours per year and maintaining continuous enrollment. Supporters of the program said students who graduate sooner save money in the long term and free up space on crowded campuses.

William F. Monroe, executive associate of the University of Houston's honors college, told the Houston Chronicle that students struggle early on, not because they aren't smart enough, but because the culture of college is a shock to them.

"They're in classes for 15 hours a week, instead of 35, and they have (too much) free time. They have to become self starters and active learners," Monroe said.

Linda Morgan, director of advising and testing, said UAA advisors want to arm students with the knowledge of what it takes to graduate in four years.

"What we do is, we try to show them what they would need in order to complete their degree in four years. For example, there is 120 credits, so we usually say to students if you would like to be able to graduate in four years without having to go to school in the summer then you need to average 15 credits every semester, but whether or not a student can do that depends on so many different factors," she said.

"When freshmen come in, we really encourage them to set a schedule that is closer to 12 than 15 (credits) because they need to have a semester where they can make the transition and the adjustment to campus," Morgan said. "But we do explain to students that if you do choose the 12 credits, in order to graduate in the four years, you will have to pick up a course in the summer or have a semester where you're taking 18 credits.

"I would say 100 percent of the students I work with all want to graduate as soon as possible. I've never had anyone who preferred to stretch it out; you know stretching it out is usually a matter of circumstance, not choice," Morgan said.

That was the case with Carol Dean, a UAA alumna who now works as a graphic designer around the country, who took five years to graduate when she attended school.

"That was only because I had to deal with family illness," she said. "It wasn't a five-year plan."

Dean said she has known friends who have taken longer than the traditional four years to graduate, mostly due to financial considerations.

"A lot of the reason for students taking longer to graduate is kids who don't have much financial help, so they have to pit work against school," she said.

While the four-year goal may be appealing to many new college students, it may not be ideal for everyone.

CollegeBoard.com, a non-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity, says students may be eager to jump into difficult classes their freshman year, but need to be aware of taking too many.

"You may not realize how challenging college courses can be, and how much reading and other work they require," the site reads. "And don't forget that this will be your first semester on campus - you're in for lots of changes. Too many hard courses can put a real strain on you and it will show in your grades."

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