CSUSB’s four-year graduation rates have become shockingly low. It is now more common for students to get their bachelor’s degrees in six years.
In 2017, the four-year graduation rate was at 14 percent and the six-year graduation rate was at 54 percent.
Graduating in four years is every student’s goal. Why is it that students are having trouble finishing in four years?
Jasmine Jimenez planned on graduating college in four years when she was admitted to CSUSB, but time management got the best of her.
“I was so bad at handling my time,” said Jimenez. “I spent too much time invested in my social life that I fell behind with my classes.”
Entering her fifth year, Jimenez decided she wouldn’t let this hinder her and forced herself to manage her time better.
“I disciplined myself to put my education before my social life,” said Jimenez. “Now I’m on track to graduating this Spring.”
CSUSB is not the only university in the California State system with low four-year graduation rates. Cal State Long Beach comes in at 16 percent and Cal State Dominguez Hills – which had the lowest graduation rate in 2016—comes in at 11.5 percent.
Not being a be able to afford school is another problem students face.
Ariah Muller has to support herself financially and feels this set her graduation date back. Like her, many students have to worry about their jobs on top of their classes.
“I’m not able to dedicate all my time solely to school because I have to maintain a full-time job,” said Muller. “Because of this, I can’t take as many classes as I need to graduate in four years.”
CSUSB offers advisors that you can meet with to make graduating smoother.
[su_quote cite=”Sarah Ellison, a professional advisor for the College of Arts and Letters. “]I believe our students do not come into advising primarily because they are not aware we are here. I don’t think students utilize the services available to them as often as they should, and I think as a whole our services, like academic advising, can do more to work with student availability.[/su_quote]
CSUSB alumni Kenny Aguilar, who graduated with a bachelor’s in nursing in 2014, was not aware of on-campus advising resources.
“The major was impacted so trying to get classes was horrible,” said Aguilar. “I wish I had some guidance because trying to figure everything out myself was super stressful.”
Aware of the low four-year graduation rates, the CSU system is implementing the Graduation Initiative 2025.
The goal of the initiative is to “ensure that all students have the opportunity to graduate in a timely manner according to their personal goals, positively impacting their future and producing the graduates needed to power California and the nation,” according to CSU’s official website.
“Academic advising is working hard to help students graduate on time and most importantly understand their program requirements, course offerings and addressing life after graduation,” Ellison said.
As of now, progress is being made in the CSU system as a whole. In 2016 the freshman four-year graduation rate was 19 percent and in 2018 it was 25 percent.
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