June 2004

Briefly speaking: Encouraging four-year graduation

	Patricia A. Turner is vice provost for undergraduate studies. (Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis)

Encouraging students to graduate in four years has always been a goal at UC Davis but the state's budget crisis, an increasing number of eligible students hoping to attend the University of California, and fee increases have raised the stakes for everyone.

While the vast majority of incoming freshmen graduate within six years, about 37 percent graduate in four years and another 30 percent at the end of five years, according to Patricia A. Turner, vice provost for undergraduate studies.

State budget proposal 'added motivator'

Faced with a record state budget deficit this year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger initially proposed that UC students be charged out-of-state fees for any units taken beyond 110 percent of the units required to graduate. Out-of-state fees are about three times those paid by residents.

"We've been really interested in decreasing students' time to get a degree anyway but this became an added motivator," Turner says.

While the governor's proposal is just that, Turner notes that other fee increases are on the way, so every student should be concerned about graduating as soon as possible.

The Financial Aid Office estimates the expenses of a California resident undergraduate living off campus -- including room and board, books, and transportation -- to be as much as $18,650 a year, and yet a student in their fifth year may not be eligible for some financial aid awards.

For its part, the campus will closely monitor class availability and, when demand necessitates, add courses and sections.

Campaign to start soon

This summer, UC Davis will launch a campaign to encourage students to complete their degrees in four years. It will start with identifying freshmen as the Class of 2008, a concept ingrained in high schools but not as common at the university level.

UC Davis will provide first-year students with the following guidelines as keys to a successful four-year college experience:

• Plan, plan, plan: With the help of an adviser, plan to enroll in courses that will fulfill General Education requirements.
• Think 15: The expected course load is 15 units per quarter.
• Stick with your classes: Don't quit a course because of a low grade. Seek help from professors, teaching assistants and the Learning Skills Center.
• Take care of your health.
• Get to know your advisers: This includes peer, staff and faculty advisers.
• Balance your time.
• Work together: Support your classmates and look forward to walking across the graduation stage with them in four years.

Advising and other resources

UC Davis offers many ways to help students reach the goal of graduating in four years. In addition to campus Advising Services and college advisers, there is the Degree Navigator, a handy online tool designed to help students develop a plan for graduating and evaluate their progress along the way.

For more on this issue, see a recent story from Dateline, the faculty and staff newspaper.

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