<p>I have noticed that the UCs have very low 4 year graduation rates. Why is that? How hard would it be to graduate in 4 years? What if you wanted to study abroad? Thanks</p>
<p>ah, the innocence of youth. stuff happens between the ages of 18 and 21, not all of it pleasant. not everyone finds a school that fits them. students get sick. buddies or family members die. parents get sick. hospital bills go thru the roof. parents lose their jobs. parents divorce. banks foreclose on mortgages. families declare bankruptcy. students change majors. twice. students don’t study. students discover beer, sex, dope. and, yes, students study abroad. we could go on forever.</p>
<p>^ That stuff happens everywhere, yet more than 100 colleges have higher 4 year graduation rates than any of the UCs. All but ~6 of them are selective private schools. (Source: <a href=“Best College Values, 2019 | Kiplinger”>http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-public-colleges/index.php</a>) </p>
<p>I’m not sure exactly why the graduation rates at public universities are so much lower. It may have something to do with costs. Selective private schools generally have better need-based aid than state universities … yet the average debt at graduation is about the same at some of the UCs as it is at Stanford. Admission selectivity is another possible factor. Many schools with the highest graduation rates are more selective than most state universities. However, Berkeley and UCLA have lower 4 year graduation rates even than schools like BU, NYU, Wake Forest, Villanova, Brandeis, and BC (which are not more selective than Berkeley or UCLA). </p>
<p>It may be because the UCs (and public schools generally) are admitting more lower income students than most selective private schools do. Washington Monthly measures graduation rate “performance”. They measure the delta between actual and predicted rates (where a predicted rate is based on an average rate for schools with similar demographic and other characteristics). By this measure, public universities typically out-perform selective private schools.
(<a href=“http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2013/national_university_rank.php”>A 10-Year-Old Child | Washington Monthly)</p>
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<p>Likely reasons:</p>
<ul>
<li>More low income students, who may have to take lighter course loads to allow for working to earn money, or take semesters off to work to earn money.</li>
<li>More non-traditional students, who may be similar to low income students in enrollment patterns.</li>
<li>More students in majors requiring extra credit units (engineering, architecture).</li>
</ul>
<p>Note that UCLA’s four year graduation rate is about 70%, while its twelve quarter graduation rate is about 80%, indicating that there is a non-trivial amount of taking quarters off for whatever reason going on.</p>
<p>I realize that those things happen, but other colleges have higher 4 year graduation rates and the same things happen there. </p>
<p>Thanks for the information, I’m just worried that if I go to a uc I would be much more likely, for whatever reason, to spend 5 or 6 years in college than at a private school. </p>
<p>UC’s are funded by California state taxpayers, so we (Californians) pay the bills. This means that we can’t build that new science lab and add 15 professors because our taxes would increase. There is course unavailability in that some courses are only offered once a year because of the budget. Someone has to pay the bills and that’s us.
No one says you have to go to a UC, go to a private school if that is what you want, they have more money.</p>
<p>I’m not sure where I want to go, I’m just evaluating my options. </p>
<p>Assume 5 years or more if you have a STEM major in the UC’s. Things come up and happen.</p>
<p>I went to a UC school and graduated in four years (with a double major) with absolutely no problem. Probably could have graduated earlier, if I had tried to, but I was considering adding a minor. My roommate also graduated in four years with a double major with no problem (and her two majors were in departments that had very scarce class offerings–but she still never had trouble getting the classes she needed).</p>
<p>In my experience, taking longer to graduate had much more to do with characteristics of the student than of the school. They took a lower course loads, failed courses and needed to retake them, double majored and/or double minored, or changed majors frequently (and often into their third and fourth years). I knew one person who took longer to graduate for medical reasons, but that was the only one who unexpectedly needed to take longer to graduate and that would have happened at any school.</p>
<p>Do not assume it will take you 5 years or more to graduate. Plan for four years. That means make an actual plan for four years. Whatever school you go to–private, public, whatever–make a four year plan. Take into account that some classes are only offered once a year (which could happen at any school and is not unique to UCs). Plan to take core classes earlier and leave your electives until later when you have more flexibility to take different classes if there are scheduling conflicts and such. Keep in mind that some courses have to be taken in sequence. Take a class over the summer if you have to to keep on track. If you change majors, reevaluate your four year plan. If you can’t take certain classes, switch them out with others but keep in mind which classes you HAVE to take by a certain time and which can be pushed back until later.</p>
<p>It’s not hard to graduate in four years if you plan ahead and maintain enough flexibility to rearranged your plan if need be. Things happen, yes, but the things that happen that you can’t plan (changes in financial situation, problems at home, medical reasons, etc) could happen at any school.</p>
<p>good discussion. </p>
<p>@baktrak are you a recent grad? within past year or two?
No, it’s not hard to graduate from a UC in 4 years, but OP saw stats and wondered why some don’t. Most of my friends and colleagues graduated in 4 years, but they went to school 10 years or more ago. We all double-majored 30 years ago when it really was doable with our part time jobs. Even my dd who graduated recently had a different experience when she entered school in 2008.</p>
<p>But, I have a dd who is attending Davis. It is tougher for her to get classes, now than before in the UC’s, especially in the STEM track, and its based on current units; she attended both summer sessions this year,and just finished on Sept 10th, to keep on track.</p>
<p>OP there are lots of reasons for graduating in 5 years vs. 4 years at the UC’s but it’s unique to each student’s needs. </p>
<p>My kid will graduate in 4 years. She is already in advance standing and she is only a sophomore. All my nephew and nieces graduated in 4 years, some with 3 majors. All my coworkers who have kids at UCs, particular UCLA, one was planning to graduate in 3.5 years. So it varies. Don’t worry.
I know my daughter’s friend parent who has the another kid at the same school kept telling my daughter that it takes 5 years and summer school. My kid does not take anymore than 15 units per quarter and does not do summer school. Some people assume it’s take longer, but don’t assume that.
My kid is on track to graduate in 4 years. She won’t hurry and do it in 3.5 years but if she needs money that is an option.</p>