Why is the 4 year graduation rate so low?

Why is the Georgia Tech 4 year graduation rate so low?

Engineering degrees at Tech generally require 132 hours of coursework compared to the standard 120 hours required for general BS/BA degrees at many other universities. Because so many students at Tech are engineering majors, and these students have to take the equivalent of an additional semester of classes to graduate, many opt to extend their education to 4.5-5 years instead of the standard 4 years.

Georgia Tech also offers one of the best co-op programs in the country and many students choose to take advantage of this opportunity to work with a variety of top tier companies to gain experience (and potentially a full-time job offer) before they graduate. Because this program requires students to work full-time for a number of semesters, pursuing this program often extends a student’s studies to the 5-6 year mark.

Georgia Tech students do not have trouble graduating; the four year metric is just not a good metric for the types of studies pursued by undergrads at Tech. 80% of students graduate by their 5th year and 85% by their sixth year. http://factbook.gatech.edu/academic-information/graduation-and-retention-rates-tables-5-11-5-12/

InPursuit touched upon a lot of what I wanted to say.

I also wanted to add this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NzNKKrYHqY

Lots of kids transfer out from engineering into other disciplines which would extend their stay at Tech.

Not sure I got it all with all that fast rapping. LOL But very cute. Anxiously awaiting the decision.

Also many students take twelve credit hours prolonging graduation. Furthermore changing majors can set you back as classes depending on the major are closed until you are officially approved.

Tech-oriented schools in general (not just Georgia Tech) typically have low 4-year graduation rates. This is because ABET-accredited engineering and CS programs are more rigorous, and have a larger number of course requirements, than most other undergraduate programs. ABET programs can be completed in four years, but everything has to go just right – there is not as much flexibility as there is in other fields of study. If you have to retake a class or two, or decide to switch majors, then you may need an extra semester or two to finish up.

So tech schools tend to have low 4-year graduation rates, but they also tend to catch up when you consider 6-year rates. For example, College Navigator shows the following:

4-year rates: GT 40%, UGA 62%
6-year rates: GT 85%, UGA 84%

It’s not a problem at all to graduate in 8 semesters (which in my opinion should be the metric since coop’s shouldn’t negatively affect the metric). People tend to also opt to take summers or courses away from Tech during the summer (they’re great with transfer credit!) so that they can take lighter loads (12 credits) during the regular year. Lots of Tech students also go for minors or certificates which add ~15-22 credits.