Here’s a leading question: Would you rather put your money in something that had a 70% chance of paying off or an investment that had only a 25% chance? Without knowing the four, five and six year graduation rates of the colleges your student is considering, you could be backing a losing horse! You might be awestruck to learn that many parents are sending their children to colleges with a four-year graduation rate of less than 25%.  I’m not going to show you the worst of the worst so let’s assume that your student has an SAT score between 1090 and 1300 Math and Verbal, or an ACT composite score between 24 and 31.  Here are some public and private institutions where they would have a good chance of being accepted and their four and six year graduation rates:When comparing apples to apples you can see that choosing the right college means graduating sooner for less money.  If you wish to discuss graduation rates with admissions, I’ve found it productive to ask what steps your student can take to increase the chances of graduating in four years rather than asking why the four- year rate is low (or low compared to others).  Here are some top reasons why a student might not graduate in four years:

•    Transferring to another college

•    A change of direction or major

•    College not offering enough classes each semester

•    Completing a double major

•    Failing too many classes

•    Artificially raising GPA to keep scholarships by withdrawing from too many classes

•    Low GPA

Related posts:

  1. Are So-Called “Lesser Schools” Worth It? — Considering Colleges’ Without the “Brand” Name
  2. Financial Aid Question of the Month

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