Out in 4? Colleges make it a pledge


HUNTINGDON, Pa. (AP) — Pursuit of a bachelor’s degree is often seen as a four-year journey from precocious freshman to savvy senior.

But completing that degree in four years isn’t as commonplace as some may think. Just a little over one-third of students going for bachelor’s degrees at four-year institutions finish in four years, federal statistics show.

So some colleges have turned to a relatively unusual guarantee in hopes of catching the attention of the financially-conscious parents while distinguishing themselves from public universities that offer lower tuition.

Graduate in four years, or the fifth year is free!

There are strings attached, of course. Students generally must follow certain advising and course guidelines that help prevent them from veering off the four-year track.

Conditions may vary, but generally, if students follow the rules and still don’t graduate on time, the ensuing credits or semesters are paid for by the school.

“It can help us because then it could help you figure out what you need to pay ... so if you know that you only need to pay for four years versus stretching out into a fifth,” said Patrick McMichael, 58, of Valley Forge. The software sales executive was accompanying his 18-year-old daughter Sarah, a high school senior, on a recent visit to Juniata, which began offering the guarantee to this year’s freshman class.

Four other colleges added such promotions for the 2009-10 academic year, according to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

The association lists and additional 10 schools that offer the guarantee — mainly small, private institutions. A handful of other schools outside the association also offer such guarantees.

The idea has been around for about a decade, said Tony Pals, an association spokesman. But more schools have implemented or started to consider the idea in recent years in part to compete with public institutions that may be cheaper but typically have lower rates of students graduating in four years.

About 36 percent of students going for bachelor’s degrees at four-year institutions completed their degrees within four years, according to March 2009 data from the federal National Center for Education Statistics.

The rates differ when broken down by type of school. About 51 percent of students attending private, nonprofit colleges graduated in four years, compared with 29 percent at public institutions.

About 57 percent of students at all institutions finished their bachelor’s degrees in six years — 64 percent at private schools, and 55 percent at public schools.

Juniata, with an enrollment of about 1,500, graduates about 95 percent of its students in four years.

“Why not guarantee it? We know how to do this,” said Michelle Bartol, the college’s dean of enrollment. “You’re not going to be a five-year or six-year kid here.”

The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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