Michelle Miller, a senior at the University of Oregon (UO), nods her head as her roommates sit in their living room chatting about graduation plans. Miller, however, will not be graduating with her roommates or the class of 2013. After switching majors this year, she won’t graduate until after spending an additional year at school.

Miller will not be the only one watching her senior friends walk across the graduation podium.

All across the US, More students are staying in school longer than the traditional four-year time frame. Less than 40 percent of students who enter college each year graduate within four years, according to the Department of Education. According to a study by nonprofit Complete College America, on-time graduation rates for bachelor’s degree students are shockingly low in Oregon.

“Many students don’t find their academic home until somewhat late in their academic career,” says Susie Brubaker-Cole, associate provost for Academic Success and Engagement at Oregon State University. “It means that sometimes they need to go beyond the traditional four years to complete those requirements.”

After completing three-fourths of her geography major, Miller realized her interests laid elsewhere. She switched to cinema studies her senior year in order to be academically connected with her real passion, music.

More than 60 percent of bachelor’s degree graduates take longer than four years to finish, and close to 30 percent take more than six, according to a report by Complete College America.

This is a national trend, explains Associate Provost Brubaker-Cole.

So, why are more students staying longer than the traditional four years? Despite departmental or even university finger pointing, the answer is not so simple.

Extended stay in college is quite common, explains Randy Martin, advisor for Family and Human Services (FHS) at UO. In fact, around half of all FHS majors need to stay longer than the traditional four years.

Even though Martin says the goal of the program is to graduate in four years, the annual application process makes four years a little less realistic for many FHS students. Students who choose the major after fall may have to wait a calendar year to apply and get into the program.

Even so, Martin continues to encourage all students to add value to their education.

“It might be better to extend longer because more time in a supervised practicum and the skills gained from it actually helps in the long run,” says Martin.

Adding value to education

Katy George, a journalism and Spanish student at the UO, briefly taught English abroad before taking a couple of community college classes. She applied to the UO but was initially denied because her extra classes made her ineligible to enroll at UO as a regular student. George returned to community college to complete the transfer credits required for UO enrollment as a transfer student.

“I think it was worth it to do a few more terms of college,” says George, who will be graduating in four years and a term.

George chose to embrace an opportunity to go abroad despite the short-term consequences. She spent a full year in Spain in order to learn about journalism abroad and sharpen her Spanish skills. And for George, it was totally worth it.

“In today’s world you can’t just go to school for four years,” says George. “You need to have stuff on your resume that’s relevant to the job you want.”

College students have many choices to add value to their education, including study abroad, internships, job opportunities, volunteering, clubs, and even a minor or second major.

Benjamin Christensen, a UO journalism student, intended to complete his bachelor’s degree with money from his own pocket. Christensen transferred to the UO from Clark College in 2007, and decided to take a year off after just two terms at the UO.

“I was still in that mentality that I needed to pay for it myself and not take student loans out,” Christensen says.

Christensen returned to complete his degree but his plans were shortly interrupted. He applied for his dream job in New York City, an opportunity to work for Major League Baseball “FanCave”, and got it. However, the opportunity meant it would take longer complete his degree.

“I think its sad and sickening to fully isolate yourself and embed yourself just in your education and not get a well-rounded life experience,” says Christensen.

After a series of on and off terms, Christensen took six years to graduate.

Money matters

Christensen was yet another student who works to supplement student loans and the cost of living. Christensen realized he couldn’t pay out of pocket, and now works as a part-time bartender at the New Max’s Tavern. If a student has a job while going to college, they may be more inclined to take a lighter course load, explains Brubaker-Cole.

“Since the economy has turned south more students have had more financial struggles and need to take fewer classes to work,” says Brubaker-Cole.

More than half of today’s college students have a job, according to a report by Upromise.

Still, college students are accruing more debt than ever before. An estimated two-thirds of 2011 college grads had student loan debt, averaging a total of $26,600. Between 2010-11 student debt increased by five percent, according to a report by the Project on Student Debt.

George also continuously works to keep up with student loans. “I’ve had to turn down several unpaid internships because I have to work in the summer,” she says.

Students balancing a job and college credits is not the only threat to late graduation. Colleges have noticed students are graduating later because required classes are full during registration, explains Brubaker-Cole.

Within the past four years, OSU has contributed $3 million annually to increase class offerings and fight against prolonged graduation rates. Course offerings at the California Community Colleges (CCC) were reduced by roughly 15 percent resulting in hundreds of thousands of students being turned away, according to the CCC Chancellors Office.

Limited course availability is yet another contributor for delayed graduation.

Expectations

Sally Garner, advisor for the School of Journalism at the University of Oregon, believes that the transition from high school to college can be a difficult adjustment for freshman.

“It sometimes takes a little while to find your footing,” says Garner.

Students who declare journalism as a freshman typically have few problems graduating on time, says Garner. However, individuals who transfer majors or even institutions may end up at school longer than four years.

Dylan Geil, international studies advisor at the UO, has also noticed that the students who are graduating later are those who delay deciding on their the major until junior or senior year. He suggested the possibility of a shift in parental expectations for the new generation of college students. New parental expectations may be responsible for students taking longer to choose a major or finishing their degree.

“‘Do something that you love,’” echoes Geil. “We hear that all the time.”

Parents are encouraging their children to wait for ideal opportunities, Geil explains. He suggested that older generations held clear financial expectations for their children, which may no longer be the case today.

“Because more choice has been given to us, it means that for some people there is no clear route,” says Geil.

Four years is realistic, according to Geil. However, he believes that it’s much more realistic for students who have already taken a one to two years period to explore their options. exploration. For example, chances for on-time graduation are much higher if a student enters college at age 21 rather than 18.

“The four-year thing is very doable,” says Geil. “But it’s more doable if you have a track in mind.”

According to a recent survey, more adult children are returning home to live with their parents. The US government embraced the trend by enabling children under age 26 to remain with their parent’s health insurance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

“When I was in high school the push was to get a marketable skill and go out there and work 30-something years,” says Martin. “Our style of living has decreased in urgency.”

Is four years still realistic for students?

There have always been journalism students who take longer than the traditional four years to graduate, Garner explains. “Four years is a good goal,” she says. “But the bigger goal is getting the education that you want.”

The “traditional” four years is often interrupted by nonlinear, unpredictable decisions by today’s college student. Those who study enrollment call it “swirling,” rather than the “straight” path to graduation, according the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Christensen was just weeks away from earning his degree, yet chose to fly across the US to gain experience with MLB. His call to the big leagues delayed his graduation by almost a full calendar year.

“If somebody is able to do it in four years, that’s awesome,” says Christensen. “But I don’t think it’s realistic anymore.”

Story by Cari Johnson