The Benefits and Costs of Shortening Time to Graduation

Final Paper pdf 34KB

Time to graduation for students varies significantly by the type of degree being pursued, the pre- college preparation of the student, the level of support provided by a student’s family, and other factors. The intended completion time for a bachelor’s degree is four years; however, there is sufficient variation in completion time that both the United States Department of Education and the National Collegiate Athletic Association use a six-year completion rate as the measure of success. The effect of pre-college preparation involves both circumstance and choice. Some students matriculate with Advanced Placement credit, others choose not to enroll in AP courses, and still others never had the opportunity to enroll in them. Others must take remedial courses before they are able to enroll in the published curriculum. To investigate how time to graduation may vary, our research question is, ‘All pre-college factors being equal, what are the consequences of longer or shorter times to graduation?’ This paper will examine the various consequences of a longer or shorter time to graduation.

Author(s):

Karen De Urquidi    
Engineering
East Carolina University
United States

Matthew Ohland    
Engineering Education
Purdue University
United States

Allison Godwin    
Engineering Education
Purdue University
United States