It’s no secret that many college students are finding it difficult to finish a degree in just four years. Sometimes students are primarily to blame in requiring extra time to graduate: they miss, drop or fail too many classes; they decide to take a semester off; or they decide, rather late in the game, to change majors or pursue different degrees. In some cases, however, the time it takes for students to earn their degrees increases primarily because of the colleges themselves.   How many times have we heard about a student who tried to get into a required class only to find out the class is enrolled beyond capacity and will not be available until a later date? And, even worse, what about the student who learns a required class isn’t being offered at all, and it’s the final class he needs to take in order to graduate? Both instances can set graduation back a semester, a year or even longer.

Many times, students who take a long time to graduate end up paying more for their degrees than originally anticipated, and sometimes they are even required to pay additional ”per credit hour” fees if they go beyond the expected graduation timeline.  But things may be changing in the student’s favor. Read the rest of this entry »

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There is no doubt that making college more affordable would ease some of the burden being felt by economically struggling students and families.

Public Agenda is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public opinion research group dedicated to researching and publishing the American public’s opinions on a range of issues. In February, the organization published its findings from a November 2010 phone poll of 1,000 adults living in the U.S.  In the poll, respondents were instructed to identify whether they feel that they are “struggling” in the current economy, and if so, to what degree. Of the respondents, 40% identified themselves as struggling “a lot,” and 42% said they are struggling “a little.” The results of the survey may provide some insight into the situations of average American families who feel that their current financial situations are bleak. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: college admissions, college tuition, cost of college
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