Say Good-bye to the Four-Year College Degree - Joseph Williams, Take Part

The expectation is that it will take four years of rigorous study for a student to go from freshman to graduate, give or take a semester off. However, a new report on college completion by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center indicates that less than half of all full-time college students at public universities earn their bachelor’s degree “on time,” with the majority finishing more than five years after they enroll. The rate of degree completion is even worse at community colleges, with just 5 percent of full-time students reaching graduation day within the expected two years. The study also concludes that the longer a student spends in college, the more likely he or she is to drop out before obtaining a degree. The reasons for the 30-year trend are complex and varied, according to the report, but two stand out: More students are unprepared for college and have to take remedial courses, while others are struggling to pay the spiraling cost of tuition. http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/09/23/say-goodbye-four-year-college-degree