Technically, I’ll have finished in 4 years. You definitely can’t say I took 5 years.
Sorry, I meant Fall 2012.
It you start college in Fall of 2016 and graduate in Summer of 2016…you will have accomplished quite a feat…graduating before you even started! :))
I meant Fall 2012.
OK, I figured there was some error in there.
Right, you (who is “you”??..do you care what others say??) can’t say it took 5 years. You’ll be a 2016 graduate. If asked, or put on a resume, you would say you got the degree in August, 2016 (or whenever you finish).
Didn’t take 5, took more than 4. When does this matter? If bothersome, you can say you graduated summer 2016 and they will likely think you mean June when some colleges get out for the winter semester or spring quarter…
Why are you concerned about this?
on your resume, you would put down,
University of xx Sept-12 thru Aug-16
or
University of xx, BA/BS, Aug-16
Of course, the above infers that the University of xx actually awards degrees in August. Some only hold degree dates in December and June. If that is the case, your diploma would say Dec-16.
My daughter enrolled in college in fall 2006…and her diploma was awarded August 2010. She had a summer course to complete for her double major.
It really is no big deal. I’m not sure why you are wondering about this.
So I’m not considered to have graduated college late.
Not sure why this technicality or terminology matters to you. But if you want to get technical and accurate…
Let’s assume you graduate in August and the typical graduation date for the degree is May or June, then you are technically graduating “late” or later than the regular graduation date for your class, but it took you four years, not five, and your resume should state you graduated with X degree in August, 2016.
I agree with @soozievt on this. “On time” is irrelevant to anything. Your resume doesn’t even have to break down the months, unless it’s specifically asked. When I put my college degrees on my resume, it’s the YEAR of graduation only.
Now there MIGHT be an issue with how the college handles it. My daughter had to complete a couple of additional courses in the summer after her senior year. She went to the graduation ceremony with her class in June 2003, BUT the college counts her degree as awarded in 2004. That’s their rule. Does this matter for anything? No. That’s the way her school handled things. I would guess most colleges handle it differently and she would have been counted as graduating in 2003.
I just have graduated BA/Bs 2013 and MPH 2015 my cv. No months, no start dates.
No one cares about this other than you imo.
If you graduate, that is the important thing. Many many people start degrees and never finish them.
Typically the summer prior is considered part of the coming fall/spring term. Hence the term, “rising freshman/sophomore/junior/senior.” So technically, the summer after your senior year is considered part of your 5th year.
It would help to understand why you are wondering because there might be a way to look at it where it could possibly be considered part of “on time” graduation, because there are calendar years, academic years, fiscal years, etc. and the start and end period can vary. What doesn’t change is that it is 12 months. Did you consider yourself a high school graduate in June 2012, or in August 2012? Did you consider Summer 2008 (summer after 8th grade) activities as part of 8th grade or part of your high school resume?
If you have financial aid that covers 4 years, and includes coverage for summer courses (which my daughter’s did), that aid may not extend to that ‘5th’ summer. That could be important.
However, the college’s CDS graduation-rate statistic DOES allow for that 5th summer:
“Of the initial 2008 cohort, how many completed the program in four years or less (by August 31, 2012).”
I agree with others, your start date has little to no meaning, outside for financial aid reasons. Come to think of it, there’s little reason to say the month of graduation, except on some job applications. If you graduate in August 2016, you are a 2016 graduate/alumnus just as sometime who graduated in May. The important part is graduating not “tardiness”.
The only parties that care about “on time” graduation are the ones paying the tuition bills.
Many degrees and colleges have extensive co-op or internship programs that makes graduating in 4 years a near impossibility. Like others have said, the END DATE is the only important issue. No one is going to care if you took 4.5 or 5 or 6 years to attain your degree.
Late for WHAT??
This is much ado about nothing.