Most students enrolling in college for the first time imagine that they’ll have a degree in four years. But, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), they shouldn’t.
The average full-time student does not earn enough credits to complete a bachelor’s degree in even five years, said the report, which is based on course credit data from students who started college in 2019-2020. This increases the likelihood that they will join the over 39 million Americans wi
“College completion is not what we need it to be,” said Dr. Nia Woods Haydel, vice president for alliance engagement and institutional transformation at Complete College America, a non-profit. “I would say that’s a crisis.”
The report found that in their first year of study, just over half of full-time students were on pace to graduate in five years or less, and only 28% were on track to graduate in the traditional four-year timespan. The average full-time student was not even attempting enough credits to finish in four years.
This may be in part because of a misunderstanding, say experts. For the purposes of financial aid, students must be enrolled in 12 credit-hours per semester to be considered a full-time student eligible for the maximum award. But 15 credit-hours are necessary to graduate in four years.
“I don’t think it’s intentional,” said Haydel. “I think it’s a lack of knowledge from students and their families.”
Another factor may be students’ efforts to avoid biting off more than they can chew.
