What is On-Time Graduation, and How Does It Work?
On-time graduation is simply defined as: graduation with a Bachelor's degree in 4-5 years. There are a wealth of benefits to graduating on time. Here's a short list of them:
Jumpstart the advancement of their career
Accrue less student debt
Garners more confidence in post-graduate work
Most students who are entering college are looking to graduate on time within a 4-year period. This makes sense when about 90% of students in high school graduate on time in 4 years. But the stark reality is that more than half of the college student population DO NOT graduate from college on time. In fact, most students need 5 to 6 years to complete their education.
Here Are The Stats:
According to an article by NYTimes.com "it typically takes between four and five years to complete a bachelor's degree when you attend school full time"
Did You Know...
12 credits per semester is the maximum amount of coverage for Pell Grants?
15 credits per semester greatly increases chances for on-time graduation?
If On-Time graduation was a simple objective to meet, most of the student population would do so, but this isn't the case. Many factors are often overlooked, yet nonetheless delay on-time graduation.
Some of those factors include:
Decreasing school workload
Increasing job work hours
Transferring to another university
Lack of competent academic advisory
Unclear on direction of education
Fragile scaffolding, supports, and time management skills
Absence of a supportive and instructive social network
Here's the thing: the National Center for Education Statistics found that “the majority of undergraduates took six years to graduate in 2019"
Think About This…
If the average year in college costs about $34,000 per year, and it takes you 6 years to graduate from college, that's about $50,000 more in college costs….do the math! This is a major issue for universities, college students, parents, and employers.
On The University Level:
The average cost to fully facilitate and educate a student is approx $34,000. That easily accrues to more than $120,000 to graduate a student successfully. This goes beyond the budgets of many colleges and universities and affects money that could go toward better supports and accommodations for students. More than 10% of the students pass through the cracks of colleges not receiving an education. All of this will affect a school's ranking. And ALL schools want to rank well.
On The Student Level:
Not graduating on time affects the morale of the students. Anxiety over school workload pressures is likely to increase. A grant only provides so much financial aid. When the projected four-year graduation period is extended, this begins to add to the debt with which a student graduates. The trajectory of the career path is slowed for the students - even stalled.
Research school graduation rates,
Choose the right school for you,
Meet with your academic advisor regularly,
Have a major in mind,
Take a full load course,
Test out of college credits,
Do well in your classes,
Advocate for yourself
On-Time Graduation is possible with the right tools and guidance. My Life Tutors has years of experience helping students graduate on time without sacrificing their mental or physical health. With our Roadmap to On-Time Graduation (coming in January 2023) and College Jumpstart program, we can provide you with the necessary resources to succeed. So what are you waiting for? Click here to get started!
