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I have no idea what you regard as the top 100 but in California the average CSU student is taking six years for a BA. Overcrowding (can't get classes they need) is a big problem, plus a lot of students have to work part time.
I think that on average it will take students in public universities longer to get their degrees than students in private universities. I don't think ranking has all that much to do with it. I think the primary reason that students in public universities take longer to get their degrees is that they cannot always get the classes they need, when they need them.
I think that on average it will take students in public universities longer to get their degrees than students in private universities. I don't think ranking has all that much to do with it. I think the primary reason that students in public universities take longer to get their degrees is that they cannot always get the classes they need, when they need them.
Agreed. At my top 40 private school, it was incredibly uncommon for students to take longer than 4 years to graduate with a BA/BS. There were typically extenuating circumstances - major change in junior year (after the economy crashed in 2008, saw a lot of people staying an extra year to pick up a computer science major), medical issues, etc. It's much more common to graduate in 3 years.
The big difference I saw was that if you have a senior who needs a class to graduate, the school will move heaven and earth to get you in even if it's filled. So many of my friends at large state schools ended up never getting off the waitlist for essential classes, so they took 5 years to complete their program.
When statistics are compiled, they look at six year grad rates. I think in reality, most graduate in 4-5. Even with transferring and losing a few credits, my DD graduated in 4 1/2 from a tier 1 uni.
I know plenty of twenty-somethings, as they are friends of my kids. About half and half... private vs public.
All but two graduated in 3.5 to 4 years.
One took 5 years with his co-op program at RIT.
Another took 5.5 with some dual program that got her out with a double bachelors and a masters.
I would say our experience is the same as Pitt's...most kids we know graduate within 4 years, give or take a semester. The ones that don't either changed majors late in the game or were in a program that was designed to take 5 years (BA/MA or similar). With all of the AP credits available and what not, kids that want to go to those huge universities should be taking advantage of those credits to get their class standing higher for the registration advantage. I also think that the overall population at smaller, private schools is more motivated to get done "on time" and at the huge U's you have a lot more people that never planned on getting done in 4 years for various reasons, working and going to school usually. I do know some kids that finished in 4 years at big' U's but took several classes each summer in order to do that too. It has nothing to do with this mythical "tier" of schools.
Both my sons graduated from tier 1 universities (both large public schools). Son #1 did it in 4 years, and that included taking one semester off to do an internship in DC (only 1 credit hour given for it, so it didn't really help towards graduating). His last semester, he was taking more hours than he needed, just so he could be classified as a full time student. I believe all he really needed was 8 or 9 hours, but took 12. No summer classes. One class online in a mini-mester over the winter break, only because he had to have it and it wasn't being taught the next semester, and he was scheduled to graduate then, He wasn't going to stay around a whole semester more just for 1 class. He did place out of quite a few hours with AP testing.
Son #2 graduated in 4 years, with 2 degrees. He placed out of a few hours with AP testing, but not a lot. He did one summer semester abroad which counted 9 hours, I believe.
Both of their schools offered some kind of incentives in the form of money back after graduation or something to students who graduated in 4 years because the schools were overcrowded and they had too many "professional students" clogging up the pipeline. Neither of my kids were eligible for this however, because it only applied to instate kids and both mine were out of state students. They would have loved to have had our out of state dollars for as many years as they were willing to stay around.
Agreed. At my top 40 private school, it was incredibly uncommon for students to take longer than 4 years to graduate with a BA/BS. There were typically extenuating circumstances - major change in junior year (after the economy crashed in 2008, saw a lot of people staying an extra year to pick up a computer science major), medical issues, etc. It's much more common to graduate in 3 years.
The big difference I saw was that if you have a senior who needs a class to graduate, the school will move heaven and earth to get you in even if it's filled. So many of my friends at large state schools ended up never getting off the waitlist for essential classes, so they took 5 years to complete their program.
Any studies done on this? I have never had an issue or heard of my friends having one getting into a class. Maybe an issue at lower rated publics who lack some resources?
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