While most applicants expect to earn a Bachelor’s degree in four years, more than half will fail to do so. In fact, fewer than two-thirds of students manage to finish even within six years. Considering how quickly the cost of college has been increasing, those extra years of college come at a tremendous cost. What kind of questions should high schoolers and their families be asking when considering why students don’t complete college in four years?

Why does finishing a four-year degree on time matter?
What academic issues keep students from finishing college on time?
What credit and career planning issues keep students from finishing college on time?
What role do or should colleges play in facilitating on-time completion?
How can parents prepare high schoolers to finish their degrees on time?

To understand both the massive scope and potential solutions to this common problem, I spoke with Rochester-based educational consultant Edie Steele to explore the benefits and challenges around finishing a four-year degree on time.

Edie Steele coaches students privately through Finish in Four, LLC with a simple goal of helping students finish college on time. Her expertise was honed as an Academic Advisor and Student Retention Director at diverse colleges and universities. Her Ph.D. in Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership enables Edie to understand key factors driving student success, and the larger forces that shape and define the American higher education system. Edie’s background includes career exploration with students and admissions counseling positions at the graduate and undergraduate levels. She also presents to groups of parents and students about academic success and a dream of a college education pursued the right way: on time and on budget!