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When discussing the concept of colleges offering a bachelor’s degree in a mere three years back in December the College Guide pointed out, admittedly sort of snarkily, that the average college student actually graduates in something more like six years. Only 37 percent of students finish in four years. That can get expensive.
Well one school in Maine sees this as a problem and has taken steps to correct it. According to an article the Waterville, Maine Morning Sentinel:
Graduate in four years or the university will pay for your remaining course work.
That’s the deal University of Maine at Farmington officials announced Wednesday for incoming freshmen who sign on for a new guaranteed-graduation program.
The “Farmington in Four” guarantee was developed both for students who want to avoid the cost of additional years of college in difficult economic times and those who don’t want to delay entering the job market or graduate school.
Students at the University of Maine at Farmington, a 2,349-student public university in southeastern Maine, now have a guarantee that they can graduate in four years. If not, the school will pay the cost beyond four years.
It won’t necessarily be any easier for students. Farmington students who want to take advantage of the guarantee have to choose an academic major by May 1 of their freshmen year. According to the article, the student is also required “to follow a set of guidelines including completing 32 credit hours a year that can include course work during winter, May and summer terms.”
About 60 percent of students at the school currently complete their degrees in four years.
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Paul in NC on January 14, 2010 7:18 PM:
What am I missing here? This sounds like an incentive to take more than four years to graduate. What is the incentive to graduate in four years?
Mike C on January 14, 2010 8:48 PM:
Juniata College in Pennsylvania has a similar guarantee.
inkadu on January 14, 2010 9:01 PM:
Paul - Maybe the incentive is for colleges to actually offer required classes often enough for people to graduate on time.
FL on January 15, 2010 7:18 AM:
Paul - the incentives to graduate in four years are external. The extent to which they're felt will probably vary according to economic conditions. For instance, some students counting on help from their parents have seen their parents' savings and assets decrease recently.
Texas Aggie on January 15, 2010 10:45 PM:
I keep seeing this bit about a third of students graduating in four years, but then I see individual statistics like this where 60% graduate in four years. Is the problem that the 37%, as cited in this article, includes people who never graduate at all while the 60% means 60% of those who ever graduate?