When public universities face a budget crunch, students typically brace themselves for spending cuts and tuition hikes.
That’s what makes the deal reached by Gov. Jerry Brown and University of California President Janet Napolitano last May so refreshing. The deal brings in $436 million of state money to fund the UC’s pension, an annual 4 percent base increase in University funding for the next four years and a two-year tuition freeze for in-state students.
In return, each UC campus must create three-year graduation plans for the school’s most popular majors, ranging from history to applied mathematics, in order to encourage students to graduate. Here at UCLA, Patricia Turner, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education, formalized them last week by creating 30 such plans, which are optional for students to follow.
Yes, graduating early is hardly a new phenomenon, but this is the first time that UCLA is actively promoting and helping students plan early graduations as a cost-cutting measure.
However, one less year of college and packed summers may mean missed internship opportunities and, consequently, a weaker resume upon graduation. This is less of an issue for students planning on attending graduate school immediately after graduation, but other students must weigh the importance of professional experience against the benefits of early graduation..
A good addition to jump-starting this initiative would be to expand the number of 195CE courses found in many departments, which are internship courses that offer academic credit. Pursuing these can help students simultaneously build their resumes and stay on track toward getting the 180 units necessary to graduate.
More specifically, academic departments should look into more ways to incorporate work experience into their internship classes in order to accommodate more students. The best way, ironically, may be to increase the size of these classes above the current 30-student cap most 195CE courses have. By increasing these class sizes to 45 students and contracting with external community and corporate organizations to find more spots for internship-seeking students, the departments can increase the number of available spots by 50 percent.
Resolving this issue will allow students who find the cost of college prohibitive to pursue early graduation with few drawbacks. And that can make a big difference.
A full year of college costs in-state students about $34,000 with room and board. Granted, this does not include the cost of summer classes, which many students would need to take. But even if students take 20 units over the summer, the highest amount most plans call for, they would still only spend $5,546 on tuition per summer, or $11,092 for two summers. Add in roughly $3,000 per summer for 10 weeks in a residence hall triple room and books, and the grand total for two summers of classes comes out to around $17,000. That’s half the cost of a fourth year of college.
READ MORE: Three-year degree pathways to combat looming tuition increase
And the university benefits, too. By promoting the three-year plan, administration has less pressure to take more drastic measures like cutting classes or laying off staff. Students don’t have to pay increased in-state tuition, and the university can continue providing quality education. It’s a win-win situation.
Early graduation is not without its drawbacks, and there are certain factors students should keep in mind when considering this path. Taking four classes per quarter can prove challenging and may limit students’ opportunities to join campus organizations and build a social life.
Early graduation isn’t for everyone, but the beauty of the three-year plan is that it’s completely optional. Students do not have to commit to it and can decide to instead graduate in four years at any time.
However, it can make a world of difference for financially struggling students. And for students whose priority is to graduate as quickly as possible, such as students who plan on immediately enrolling in graduate school, following a three-year plan is definitely the way to go.
All the university needs to do now is make academic credit through internships more readily available. This will help students build their resumes and gain job experience while staying on track for an early graduation, which will in turn resolve one of the most pressing issues facing the three-year plan; thus, students will be able to graduate more easily and save nearly $17,000 on their college education.
It’s very encouraging to see the university address budget issues in a way that doesn’t threaten the quality of education it provides. In fact, these graduation plans can be very useful because they offer students increased flexibility with their educations and a way to save money on tuition, room and board.
The decision to graduate early depends on a student’s priorities. If students want the full “college experience” and want some extra time to build a resume, four years is the best way to go. However, if they want to focus on academics in order to save money and graduate as quickly as possible, then the three-year plan definitely deserves a second look. Either way, with the new plans, in-state students come out on top.
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