Six Years Is The New Four, College Students Sadly Find Out

“What is your four-year graduation rate?” This may be one of the most important questions that college-bound students and their parents can ask when considering a potential college.  The failure to graduate students in four years has become so commonplace that even U.S. News & World Report, in its highly regarded 2022 “Best Colleges” guide, reports the six-year graduation rate of colleges throughout the country.

Sometimes there’s a good reason for students to take six years to earn a degree.  Perhaps they switched majors and many of their credits did not carry over to their new course of study. On the other hand, perhaps it was out of their control.  Maybe some of their required courses were not readily available, requiring a longer than expected college stay in order to meet graduation requirements.  Either way, students and parents who are budgeting for a college diploma need to know, in advance, whether to multiply the annual cost of attendance (including tuition, room, board, books and fees) by four or by six!

“Even after six years, less than 60% of students at 4-year colleges have earned a Bachelor’s degree. The track record for community colleges is even worse, with less than 20% of community college students earning an Associate’s degree or Certificate,” according to a Forbes article drawing statistics from the book, Who Graduates from College? Who Doesn’t?

Of course, there are still some schools that have impressive four-year graduation rates.  Schools in New York with four-year graduation rates of 85% or higher, according to U.S. News & World Report, are Cornell University, Columbia University, Hamilton College, Barnard College, and Colgate University. Those that meet this bar in Pennsylvania are the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, Haverford College, Villanova University, and Lafayette College.

In New Jersey, Princeton University reports a four-year graduation rate of 90%.  The colleges with the next highest numbers in the Garden State are The College of New Jersey at 75%, Rutgers University – New Brunswick at 67%, and Seton Hall at 65%.

Another enlightening question that students and parents should ask of college administrators at any school under consideration is, “How many of your graduates are either employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation and/or within a year?” Every college and university is required by law to keep these statistics and make them available. 

Asking the right questions can be crucial to making an educated decision on the next step of one’s academic and career life.

Susan Alaimo is the founder and director of Collegebound Review that, for the past 25 years, has offered PSAT/SAT® preparation and private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362