Colleges with the highest four-year graduation rate
March 5, 2012
Getting a college degree can be expensive.
According to the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2011-2012 school year at a four-year, public college or university is $8,244 for in-state residents and $12,526 for those who live out-of-state. At private, four-year colleges and universities, the average tuition is higher - $28,500.
And, these prices are likely to go up. FinAid.org reports that colleges generally increase tuition by 8 percent each year.
The high cost of getting an education can be controlled for mothers who are pursuing a college degree through the use of grants for parents, scholarships for mothers, single mother scholarships and other financial aid.
Tuition bills can also be kept under control by graduating in the shortest time possible. For most programs, four years is considered the norm. However, many students aren't graduating within four years.
According to a survey conducted by U.S. News and World Report, just 40.1 percent of first time, full-time students graduate in four years.
The publication reports that some colleges have introduced degree guarantee programs that promise to pay students' tuition if they don't graduate within four years. Some schools offering these programs include Randolph-Macon College, Medaille College and Baldwin-Wallace College.
Of course, this doesn't mean that you can slack off and still expect to graduate on time. Students must meet requirements to qualify, such as earning good grades and completing sessions with their academic advisers.
While the popularity of these programs is not widespread, there are colleges that have a higher than average rate of four-year graduates, according to U.S. News and World Report.
They include Washington and Lee University (91.7 percent of students graduate in four years), Williams College (91 percent), Pomona College (90.6 percent), College of the Holy Cross (90.2 percent), Princeton University (90.1 percent), University of Notre Dame (90 percent), Bowdoin College (89.6 percent), Vassar College (89.6 percent), Amherst College (89.5 percent) and Bucknell University (89.4 percent).
Students attending any college or university can ensure they graduate in the shortest amount of time as possible by meeting with their academic advisors regularly. These meetings will help keep you on track and up-to-date with all the requirements needed in order to receive a college degree.
"If a student, no matter where they go, truly wants to graduate on time, my best advice is that they make a connection with somebody in the advisement department," Medaille College's Gregory Florczak told the publication. "That's the person who's going to be able to guide them to graduate on time."
