As long as I don’t royally screw up this year, I will have earned my diploma come May 2015. I am very excited; these four years have been the time of my life. With all of the ups and downs, UNI has been amazing to me and I am glad I have had the opportunity to attend this university. I am also very lucky, because graduating in four years is not easy to accomplish. 

    Contrary to popular belief, graduating in four years is not the norm. The six-year graduation rate for first-time, full-time, undergraduate students was 59 percent in 2012, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

    There are a number of reasons why the six-year graduation rate is so low. Students drop out because they see that a four-year education is not their way to go. Some switch majors or transfer schools. Others have trouble paying for the cost of a college degree. Many also have trouble graduating in four years because of tough course loads. 

    While people strive to graduate in four years and many universities advertise themselves as four-year institutions, no one should think they have to graduate in four years. Graduating in four years is almost not an option for many majors on campus.

Education majors will take four-and-a-half years or more to get their degree because of student teaching. Some of the hardest working music and art majors still take five years because the course load is drastically different than any other degree. If you want a double major, you will probably need to take an extra year. The most active student leaders on campus take five years because they are so involved. 

    With a rising cost of education, people are looking away from earning the typical four year degree. They are starting at a community college or getting a technical degree. These are both good options for students, but an inability to afford an education, or a fear of taking more than four years because of loans, should not scare people away from coming to a four year college or university. 

    Going to a university is, for many, the last great place to learn about other ideas and meet with people from different backgrounds before having to find a job. Students gain crucial experiences that can help them to find a job as well. They get involved in organizations, take leadership roles on campus and gain connections to others in their field. 

    The call for reducing the cost of college has been getting louder and louder. Senators like Elizabeth Warren have called for reducing the interest rates on federal student loans. Others have pushed to increase the number of grants and scholarships available. Those ideas, while very noble, do not get to the root of the problem. 

Just as we have free k-12 public education, we should also look into drastically reducing the cost of a public university education, or making it free altogether. This will allow everyone the option of getting a degree if they want. This will also help to stop discouraging students who want or need to take five or six years to graduate. K-12 education was once not free, but as the necessity for a k-12 education increased, it became free. As the necessity for a college education increases, so should a college education. 

A “free” college education is not that radical. Many countries across the world have free post-secondary education, which allows students the ability to go to college without the fear of drowning in debt. In order to stay competitive, we should also look to that option.