Many high school seniors and their parents are doing the math right now calculating how much four years of college is going to cost. What most don’t imagine is that they may have to pay for five or six years. Nationally, only two out of five college students finish on time.
But spending more time on campus is expensive. And it’s inefficient for the universities if they can’t free up classroom space and housing for new students.
That’s led to institutions like the University of Washington putting more effort into helping students graduate on time. And it's paying off - UW's four-year graduation rate has climbed to 66 percent compared with a national average of 41 percent for four-year public universities.
This story is part of a partnership with the Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Click here to read the companion web story from the Hechinger Report.