Delaying graduation costly, Utah Representative says
Students are taking more and more time to finish their university education, and at high costs.
According to research conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, only 31 percent of American students earn their bachelor’s degrees within four years.
The problem of students not getting through school fast enough is widespread, said Representative Lorraine Pace of the Utah Legislature.
“I’ve been monitoring the education stuff because it worries me,” Pace said. “The whole point is that we’ve just got some students who take too long getting through college, not realizing that the state’s paying two-thirds of that.”
Pace said work is being done in the Legislature to help students keep from repeating classes by increasing transferability of courses between schools, especially those that are general education requirements. Pace also said students can soon expect to be given a disclosure of their education costs when they register for classes.
“You will be given a breakdown that shows how much you’re paying, how much the state is paying, and how much is from other sources such as scholarships,” Pace said. “It will help you to be more informed on where the money for your education is coming from.”
The graduation guarantee program at Utah State University promises that a student who participates will graduate on time or the university will pay any remaining tuition needed to graduate. The program was started two years ago in an effort to help move students through the university in a more timely and cost-effective manner, said Wade Oliver, assistant director for advising and transition services.
“This program is especially for students who are goal-oriented and want to get done,” Oliver said.
To sign up for the program, Oliver said, students must meet with their adviser and complete a contract course plan. This plan essentially maps out a student’s schedule for the remainder of their education and guarantees that the plan drafted will allow the student to graduate on time. If the student tries to stick to the plan but a class they contracted for is not available, USU will pay tuition for the remaining classes needed for graduation beyond the four years.
Not only is taking too long to graduate expensive for the university, but it’s expensive for students as well – one reason the graduation guarantee program was put into place. Oliver said the program is also designed to alleviate hurdles students may encounter when trying to graduate on time.
However, Oliver also said one of the biggest reasons students aren’t graduating on time is that they are taking too long to declare a major. Students should try and declare a major within their first or second semester, Oliver said.
For students who are having difficulty deciding on a major, Oliver said he recommends visiting the Career Exploration Resource Center located on the first floor of the University Inn.
The CERC Web site, www.usu.edu/explore, states that the CERC is available to help students who “have difficulties making decisions,” are “unsure about their choice of major” and who need information about particular occupations. The CERC offers help in assessing a student’s skills, interests, and abilities.
Oliver also said he recommends that a student take full advantage of the time they spend in the general education classes, adding they are a great time “to explore a little bit.”
Students also aren’t graduating on time because they aren’t visiting with their adviser often enough, Oliver said.
“If a student doesn’t visit with their academic adviser consistently every semester, at least every other, and they just take the advice of friends, they won’t know about changes in their department and won’t be able to plan for those,” Oliver said. “Those who don’t visit their adviser every semester run a greater risk of not graduating on time.”
Even those students who haven’t declared a major should still meet with an adviser to plan their general education classes in a way that would apply in the future to multiple majors they may be interested in, Oliver said.
Currently, 50 students are part of the graduation guarantee program. More students in the program come from the elementary education program than any other, Oliver said.
“It is up to the department to what degree they will participate. Not every major is involved,” Oliver said.
The program can also be adapted to meet the individual needs of students. According to the graduation guarantee Web site, www.usu.edu/graduate, the university contracts to “stop the plan’s four-year clock in the event of serious health problems or an approved leave of absence.”
Oliver said an approved leave of absence can include certain family situations and church missions and that students “can pick up right where they left off.”
In addition to promising to stick with their major, unless the four-year plan can still be achieved with a change, and meeting with their adviser each semester, students also promise to enroll in needed courses even if they are not offered at a convenient time and to keep a personal academic file, according to the graduation guarantee program Web site. While students will be dropped from the program if they don’t keep their end of the contract, there are no additional penalties.
The program is mostly marketed to freshman and sophomores because they “have the most time to go,” but Oliver said the program is available to all students, even those who have transferred from other universities and colleges.
FasTrack, another aspect of the program, helps students who want to get out in less than four years.
“Students will sit down and draw up a contract-course plan with their adviser and they will look at possible summer classes they can take, and any transfer or AP credits they may have,” Oliver said of FasTrack.
Oliver said USU’s program was developed at the request of the provosts and after analyzing similar programs across the country.
Students interested in joining the gradation guarantee program should visit their academic adviser. Questions about the program can be sent to Wade Oliver at oliver.wade@usu.edu.
-bnelson@cc.usu.edu