UTSA boasts dismal graduation rates, report finds

[rynetwo]

Originally Posted by Chaka

" Under this program, borrowers may qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance due on their eligible federal student loans after they have made 120 payments on those loans under certain repayment plans while employed full time by certain public service employers. "

The expectation is that loan forgiveness applies to those individuals who commit to working in public service. It's not like they're bankers making $$$$.

I guess my question would be how did everyone before my generation manage?

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by rynetwo

I guess my question would be how did everyone before my generation manage?

1. Tuition was lower
2. We paid off student loans into our 40s
3. We turned away from low-paying public sector jobs which may serve many people and are very needed (like teaching), but paid little for higher paying corporate jobs

#3 is important. The reality is that some public service/non-profit jobs are very needed but very difficult to manage financially if you have loans. The idea of these forgiveness programs (which is not total, only partial and only after a large sum has been repaid) is to encourage people to consider public service positions.

[Jkeenan87]

A 4 year graduation rate is completly do able and should be expected for a traditional full time B.A. student.
However I do see certain B.S. degrees taking more than four years to complete, since the difficulty of any engineering program is staggering when compared to say a criminal justice program. UTSA is a commuter school and a large portion of its students are there to continue their education so I agree that the 4 year graduation statistic does not look favorable for the institution. In regards to those that went part time and paid their way to their degrees, I believe you are some of the smartest people around. Especially in this economic climate the best thing you can do is be debt free.