Time is the enemy of college completion

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This historic report from Complete College America allows us to see what’s really happening on campuses in 33 states.

Consider these findings:

• There is a new American majority on campus. Seventy-five percent of today’s students are juggling some combination of families, jobs, and school while commuting to class; according to the U.S. Department of Education, only a quarter go full-time, attend residential colleges, and have most of their bills paid by their parents.

• Part-time students rarely graduate. Even when given twice as long to complete certificates and degrees, no more than a quarter ever make it to graduation day.

• Poor students and students of color struggle the most to graduate. Even though more of these students than ever before are enrolling in college, too few end up with certificates or degrees. Given changing demographics, the success of these students is critical, or our country will simply not be economically competitive.

• Students are taking too many credits and too much time to complete. Excessive course-taking is slowing down progress to certificates and degrees. And students are spending too much time in school.

• Remediation is broken, producing few students who ultimately graduate. Sadly, efforts intended to catch students up are most often leaving them behind.

These historic data have revealed a common thread - the longer it takes, the more life gets in the way of success.

More students are working, and they are working more hours than ever before. Many can afford to attend only part-time, extending the years until they graduate. More come to our campuses underprepared for college — and then get trapped in broken remedial approaches that don’t help, as time keeps slipping away. More are overwhelmed by too many choices and too little structure, causing aimless wandering and wasted semesters and years. All of this adds up to more and more time. As the clock runs and the calendar turns, we all know what happens: Students’ lives fill up with jobs, relationships, marriages, children, and mortgages; the list goes on and on. Not surprisingly, college often gets left behind: a few years of courses, no degree, and a lot of debt.