of California, Los Angeles’ Higher Education Research Institute, included 135,000 first-year students from 227 schools and various backgrounds. The survey was given during the fall 2014 semester.
Many students claim that they’ll need more than four years to complete their degree because they’re ambitious or need extra help getting ready for college.
The desire to pursue a double major, take remedial courses or to pursue non-classroom experiences were among the respondents’ reasons for taking more than four years, according to the press release.
One of the most telling factors for whether a student anticipates needing more than four years was the selectivity of the school they enrolled in.
About 30% of students at the most selective public four-year institutions predicted needing more time. However, 36% of freshmen at moderately selective schools and 42% of students at the least selective schools anticipated needing additional time to complete their degrees.