Kyle Shack is like many college students: He didn't graduate on time.
"When entering college, I expected it to be four years; that's what my parents had expected; and I'd say that's what my fellow classmates expected," says Shack, who earned his bachelor's degree in five years from Michigan State University and is now working toward his teaching certification. "I definitely am in the majority of students [I know] who have taken longer."
In fact, only about 40 percent of first-time, full-time students graduate with a bachelor's degree in four years on average, according to data reported by colleges to U.S. News. (This data, the most recent available, relates to freshmen who began college in 2004 and completed a degree at that same school by August 31, 2008, based on statistics reported by 1,201 institutions.)
Sometimes, roadblocks to graduation are personal; family issues might take precedence, or students may have to pick up extra shifts at work, instead of more courses, to fund their education. For Shack, changing his major from political science to history—with a teaching certification that required even more time—derailed his original timeframe.
For other students, a lack of planning or an inability to secure a spot in required courses can cause them to slip off the graduation timetables, prolonging the time it takes to graduate and enter the workforce.
In part to combat those kinds of issues, a handful of colleges have debuted degree guarantee programs, some as recently as this fall. Provided undergraduate students meet requirements, such as earning good grades and completing sessions with their academic advisers, schools including Randolph-Macon College in Virginia and Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio have pledged to graduate students on time, or pay the difference until they do.
[Find out which colleges have the highest four-year graduation rates.]
Debuting the new four-year degree guarantee program at Randolph-Macon in fall 2011 was a smooth step for the small school, according to Anthony Ambrogi, director of admissions and enrollment research.
"In some sense, this was kind of a low risk thing for us," Ambrogi says. "We already knew how successful our students were in getting out on time. This was a way for us to put [families'] minds at ease, especially at a time when more and more students are taking five and six years just to get their bachelor's degrees."
The programs can also be a marketing measure for schools looking to stand out among peers and attract students. Medaille College, for instance, announced its guarantee program in October 2011 and is now the only school in the Buffalo, N.Y., area with such a guarantee, says Gregory Florczak, the school's vice president for enrollment management and undergraduate admissions.
The guarantees can demonstrate a sense of community to students and parents, says Katherine Cohen, founder of educational counseling firm IvyWise.
"It's this mutual commitment between the students and the college," Cohen says. "Everyone seems to be more on board for the student, which is an incredible marketing tool. That's a school that you really want your student to go to."
Medaille's new program requires students to opt in to the guarantee and then ensures they have assistance and guidance. If a student wishes to change his or her major, for instance, an adviser will be there as a guide—a crucial element to ensuring a timely exit, Florczak says.
[Use these tips to pick the right major for you.]
"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," he says. "That's the person who's going to be able to guide them to graduate on time."
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Susie Watts of CO 12:11AM December 01, 2011