<p>It seems like it does take 5 years to get your BS at the CA state schools these days. Class availability seems to be the big issue. Of my son’s roommates, one graduated after 4 years and 2 quarters, my son and the ohter two roomies all took the full 5 years. He did know a cuple of students that did make it out in 4, but they were the definite minority.</p>
<p>My son started off with 12 units of AP credit. There would be a series of classes that he needed and getting into the first of the series was hard. These classes were then prerequisits for other higher level classes, so he would get stalled in certain required tracks. He ended up one required class short to start his senior project, which was a 3 quarter sequence that had to start in the fall quater. Hence the 5 years.</p>
<p>He took a either a full load or nearly so each quarter, so ended up with a lot of extra credits when he did graduate. Where he got behind was about his sophomore year. He was an engineering major and the extra classes were all engineering classes (he wound up taking most if not all classes in a group where one would normally choose/take a couple). I believe that the extra knowledge he gathered helped him get his job after graduating.</p>
<p>The department head stated once that only 15% students graduated on time where 85% graduated in 5 years. Sounds about right as far as I can see.</p>