How to Make Sure your Student Graduates in 4 Years

College for your student may be the best of times and the worst of times, but one thing is likely:  it will be a longer time than you thought. Only half of all students who graduate college get it done in four years – the rest take longer.

If your student doesn’t attend one of these colleges with the highest four-year graduation rates*, as reported by USNews.com, take heart. There are still a few things you can do to help keep your student on a four-year track:

Academic Priority

If your student wants to graduate in four years, it has to be a priority. That means she may need to sacrifice things like studying abroad, getting a job for extra cash, or even participating in activities that demand a lot of time.

She won’t have room in her schedule to retake classes that she failed, or to take several “fun” classes each semester that interest her but aren’t in her degree plan. Depending on her major, she will need to take at least 12 credit hours per semester, but usually more like 15 or 18.

Summer Classes

Encourage your student to take summer classes each year. If your student brought in college credits through AP courses in high school, even better.

Knocking out three or six credit hours each summer may help your student keep a more manageable load during the semester. Some classes fill up quickly during the semesters or conflict with other mandatory classes, and summer is the best time to take them.

Academic Advisement

Make sure your student works with her academic advisor and sticks to a plan. Graduation will be prolonged if she takes classes that aren’t mandatory for her degree or misses ones that are. On that note, the sooner she can decide on and stick to a major, the better.

Encourage her to take her core classes early – classes that are needed for most degree plans – so that she can take her specialized and upper-level classes in her major once she’s sure of what she wants to study.  Also, not all classes are offered every semester, so make sure your student is aware of what she needs to take and when.

Financial Preparedness

Many students can’t pay tuition, living expenses or for books, so they must take a part- or full-time job. This results in taking fewer classes or failing and having to retake classes. Help your student budget at the beginning of each semester, and try to plan so there are no surprises, like forgetting when a tuition payment or an apartment deposit is due.

While college is expensive, four years is cheaper than five or six. Remind your student of the big picture and the importance of saving and wise spending.

*10 Colleges With Highest 4-Year Graduation Rates, by Katy Hopkins, US News & World Report, 3 May 2011.