4 Year Graduation Pledge

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Being consumed in the college search I have found many myths about colleges which I thought used to be true. One is that undergrad takes 4 years but this is not necessarily the case. This had me thinking about te colleges who have a 4 year graduation pledge where if a student does not get a degree in 4 years the college will absorb the costs of the 5th or 6th year it takes until that student gets a degree. Anyone know of the colleges that do this?</p>

2

<p>University of the Pacific in Stockton had a 4-year guarantee when my son looked there last year.</p>

3

<p>[Centre</a> College: The Centre Commitment guarantees internship, study abroad, and graduation in four years](<a href=“http://www.centre.edu/web/news/2009/commitment.html]Centre”>http://www.centre.edu/web/news/2009/commitment.html)</p>

4

<p>Does the guarantee only cover a 5th/6th year of tuition? Or does it also cover room, board, books, etc?</p>

5

<p>These guarantees aren’t quite that cut-and-dried. For example, here’s the U. of Nebraska’s explanation of their guarantee program:</p>

<p>"The four-year guarantee for graduation relies on mutual commitment from the student to follow a list of practical guidelines while attending college, and from the university to ensure that required courses or acceptable alternatives are available. </p>

<p>Students must have appropriate high school preparation, pursue a course of study that is intended for four-year completion and follow these prudent practices:

  • Select a major early in college and stay with that major.
  • Work closely with academic advisors to develop a four-year curricular plan.
  • Sign up early for classes during each semester’s pre-registration period.
  • Register for and complete 15-18 credit hours per semester with acceptable grades.
  • Work at a job fewer than 20 hours per week.</p>

<p>When a required course is not available, notify the department chair in a timely fashion.
In turn, the university guarantees the student will be able to enroll in courses that permit graduation in four years. If that is not possible, the university will provide mutually acceptable alternatives or substitutions."</p>

<p>What the college may cover in the way of fifth-year expenses could vary by institution.</p>

<p>If you do a web search for “four-year graduation guarantee” you’ll get links to a lot of them.</p>

6

<p>The University of Minnesota has one.</p>

<p>Of course, these programs aren’t magic. Honestly, their main goal seems to be keeping students on track.</p>

7

<p>It’s not quite the same thing, but Clark pays for your fifth/final year of school if you stay for a MA/MS.</p>

<p>[Fifth</a> Year ~ Clark University](<a href=“Accelerated B.A./Master's Programs | Clark University”>Accelerated B.A./Master's Programs | Clark University)</p>

<p>Wesleyan has something similar for the sciences.</p>