Portland State University offers 'guarantee' students can graduate in 4 years, with caveats

[alp227]

Source: The Oregonian

Trying to position itself as affordable in an era of rising student debt, Portland State University on Tuesday unveiled a guarantee that students who are extremely on the ball will be able to graduate in four years -- or get any fifth-year classes for free.

Participating students "will have the sources and the advising they need to graduate in four years," President Wim Wiewel said.

But the pledge comes with plenty of caveats. Students have to declare a major at the start of freshman year, pass a full load of 45 credits every year, earn decent grades and generally refrain from changing majors, adding minors and switching campuses.

Graduating in five or six years or more -- not four -- is the norm at PSU, state figures show. Just 17 percent of students who started at PSU as full-time freshmen in 2006-07 graduated in four years. But the graduation rate reached 45 percent after six years, the state reports.

Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2013/10/portland_state_university_offe_1.html

[gopiscrap]

1. that's pretty cool

[davidpdx]

2. Nice

I'm a Portland State Alum







Take a virtual tour of the campus



Oh the memories....Ondine Room #812



Also known as the cockroach hotel:

[MissB]

5. Me too

But when I went there the streetcar didn't exist. And the engineering building was on the other side of campus.

I let my kid take a class there this summer (he's in high school) and even the bookstore had moved. And you couldn't even go select a book- they brought it out for you.

This is a good move on PSU's part. I looked thru the new map for my degree (B.S. in engineering) and the course load doesn't seem too out of whack.

I suspect that my kids will go to OSU or out of state. We will see.

[davidpdx]

14. Same with me

At the time I was there they were just finishing a new building on the other side of campus. One of the first in quite awhile. Since then there are so many new buildings. I believe they are doing a seismic upgrade to Montgomery Hall. I lived over in the cockroach motel also known as Ondine for the first few years and then another building the last few. They could blow that building up and the cockroaches would survive.

[duffyduff]

3. The biggest reason people take so long to graduate is because they have to work.

This doesn't help non-traditional students one bit.

Oregon college costs are nothing short of OUTRAGEOUS.

[adirondacker]

12. This, and the caveat of having to decide on a major at the beginning of freshman year. pfft. nt

[Art_from_Ark]

4. A "full load" is *45* credits per year?

When I was in college, a full load was 30 credits per year-- 15 credits per semester, which was the equivalent of five 3-hour classes per week. That *was* a full load, especially for the advanced courses. No wonder only 17% of the PSU freshmen can graduate in 4 years.

[petronius]

7. It's probably a quarter school - 180 quarter units would be the equivalent of

120 semester units. We typically have 4 quarter-unit classes, and we consider 16 units (4 classes) a full load - although students have great difficulty getting that with regularity.

Interesting move by PSU...

[alp227]

11. Semester actually

http://www.pdx.edu/registration/calendar

[petronius]

15. That's a quarter schedule: Fall, Winter, and Spring terms in the

regular academic year...

[davidpdx]

13. When I was at Portland State I believe 12 was a full load

3 semesters a year would be 36 for full-time. I believe that back then you could take 12-18 credits and it was the same price. My first term tuition was about $1,100. I took Summers off so it took me 4 1/2 years. Tells you just how long ago it was.

Those were the days.........

[tammywammy]

18. It's a quarter system, so 45 hrs in an academic year is doable

Here's their page discussing how they calculate hours earned on a semester convert to a quarter credit.

http://www.pdx.edu/admissions/basic-transfer-rules

30 semester hours is equivalent to 45 quarter hours.

[Orangepeel]

6. Um...okay

Is there a university where a student who declares a major as a freshman, doesn't change majors or add a minor, and passes 45 credits a year can't graduate with a bachelor's degree in 4 years?

180 credits for a bachelor's degree is a lot.

[petronius]

8. I think what PSU is trying to fix is on the supply side - when the school doesn't offer

enough sections/seats in required classes, students can't stay on schedule. Sounds like PSU is promising that the seats will be available, and if they fail to live up to that then the 5th year will be free...

[LuckyLib]

19. Yes. It puts pressure on the legislature to fund programs such that they can

offer enough sections to make graduation happen. Students are regularly shut out of classes due to lack of sections. It happens all over the country.

[Sgent]

9. I assume

that Portland State is on a trimester system -- 45 credit hours / year makes sense in that system (its equiv to 30 semester hours / year).

[tammywammy]

16. It's a quarter system

It Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer registration. Semster systems only have Fall, Spring and Summer.

[tammywammy]

17. It's a quarter system, so 45 hrs really isn't bad.

Here's their page discussing how they calculate hours earned on a semester convert to a quarter credit.

http://www.pdx.edu/admissions/basic-transfer-rules