Students don’t plan to take more than four years to graduate, but the reality is that many do — and that means footing the bill for additional years of tuition. It also means that students are losing out on income because they’re starting their careers later. That’s why graduation rates matter, and why it’s important when comparing college costs to consider how long a student will likely take to earn a degree.

Graduating on time often comes down to how many classes the student takes each semester. Some students are more motivated than others to take a full-load of classes; others simply don’t realize that they need to in order to graduate in four years. But our 17 member colleges work very hard to keep students on track. As a result, we have the best grad rate in the state and the Midwest as well as the third highest nationwide.

Read more about how additional years makes college more expensive.