February 24th, 2010 by Natalie Hikel

Maybe you changed your major or maybe you transferred schools. Perhaps you extended that semester abroad into a year abroad, or you decided to double major. Maybe you couldn’t get into a required class, or you found yourself in the unfortunate situation of having to retake a class. There are all sorts of reasons students take longer than the traditional four years to graduate from college, but there’s no way around it, the longer you are in school, the more expensive your education.

Remember that your education is an investment in yourself and your future career. Extending your college experience to get an extra degree or to study in another location might be worth the extra costs. BUT, having to pay for tuition, room and board, books, activity fees and all of the other expenses that go along with additional semesters, is another story.

Sometimes it’s worth putting the numbers out there and letting it sink in. Suppose your tuition is around $16,000 a year. That means you are looking at least $96,000 in tuition alone on the six-year plan, versus $64,000 if you were to graduate in four years. That assumes your tuition does not increase (which it probably will), and does not factor in the myriad of other expenses you incur in school.

So how can you prevent this from happening? Do your due diligence and stay on top of your graduation requirements. Even with a college major change and a transfer, I was able to graduate only one semester late by working with my advisors and always knowing how many requirements I had left. In my last semester at my original school, I made a point to take classes that I knew my future school would accept for their full credits. I also tried to pick classes that might satisfy more than one requirement, such as a class that met both the social sciences requirement and counted toward my major. I also took summer and night classes if I couldn’t get into required classes offered at traditional times.

Some tips to help you graduate in four years:

1. Stay ahead of the curve and really think about your school choice to avoid having to transfer.

2. Don’t declare a major right away.

3. Work on your core requirements so you don’t waste time on classes in a major you end up not interested in.

4. Stay on top of your high school studies now so you score well on AP exams and have credits in your pocket before you even set foot on campus.

Of course, sometimes circumstances arise and life doesn’t work out as planned, but with some foresight you can avoid being in school longer than necessary.

Tags: change major, college costs, College Transfer, years to graduate college
Posted in Financial Aid, Life at College | 2 Comments »