Every year you spend in college costs you another year of tuition, so it’s important to know if your school will help you graduate as soon as possible. There’s actually a way to measure that. It’s called a graduation rate, and it can help you in deciding which schools are best for you.
Ask about graduation rates when you visit.
Some colleges have a better record than others when it comes to helping students graduate in four years. Do the schools you’re considering have good graduation rates? Find out by asking these three questions on your college visits.
Are you a part time student or on Medicaid? New Laws apply to you
As a result of the Big Beautiful Bill (HR1) passed in the summer of 2025, there will be several changes which will impact undergraduates.
- Part Time students will no longer be able to receive the full amount of government loans available to full time students. Their amounts will be proportionally reduced. The schedule is complicated but 12 credits per semester is considered full time. Anything less will have loans reduced by a proportional amount. Full details can be found here. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-B/chapter-VI/part-668/subpart-A/section-668.2
- Students on Medicaid (13%) will now fall under the new work requirements to continue on Medicaid, even if they are students. At the time of this writing, It is not clear whether or how much part time work counts towards Medicaid eligibility.
Online sources for graduation rates
Go to collegescorecard.ed.gov and search for the schools you have in mind. But be aware of these two very important points:
- This page uses an 8-year graduation rate. You want to know the four year graduation rate, so be sure to ask the school.
- The site projects your “median salary," but you probably won't earn that much until the middle of your career.
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