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Only one in three college students in America gets a bachelor's degree in four years. In fact, the federal government uses a six-year rate to measure graduation success, but still only 56 percent ever graduate from the college they entered as freshmen....</p>
<p>The state's private schools also have rates that closely reflect how selective they are. Princeton University, one of the most selective in the country, tops the list in New Jersey with a four-year graduation rate of 89 percent and a six-year rate of 96.4 percent....
<p>Actually, graduation rates do not correlate with selectivity per se, but with median income of those attending.</p>
<p>By far the largest number of students who do not finish college leave because of financial difficulties/emergencies in their families. Has nothing to do with selectivity per se, except as selectivity selects for income security.</p>
<p>vanessa, you make an interesting point regarding student concerns about maintaining a high gpa. Do some students repeat course work to get a better grade or just take a lighter load per semester/term? The article labels a 5-6 year plan as "the lingering student" phenomenon. The point being lingering is a negative that significantly increases the cost of a college degree. The example is given of an extra semester at a NJ state school as more than $4,000. In New Jersey there is the problem of a "space crunch" at public colleges so Danette Gerald's comment "We have a good deal of success in getting students into college, but not in getting them out" speaks to that point. It seems pretty up front to posit that traditional students linger while non-traditional students work and therefore need the extra year or two. I do know of quite a few full-time college students, one of whom is getting ready to take the wacky walk at Stanford this June, who took summer courses in order to graduate on time. Of course, the summer sessions were not covered by financial aid so the cost of housing, board, and tuition was at their extra expense. So, I can't help wondering just how many students who don't linger get pushed through the college mill in 4 years because they were able to satisfy distribution requirements etc. over the summer.</p>
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It is a paradox of modern higher education: The high cost often forces students to work, and working usually means students can't get enough credits each semester to graduate in four years.