This study examined reasons that some full-time students take longer than normal to complete a bachelor's degree, and whether students who extend their program are more like those who take only 4 years to graduate or are more like dropouts. One part of the study reviewed 64 transcripts of all traditionally-admissible new freshmen who entered the…

Analysis of transcripts and survey responses of undergraduate students in one university identified three types of student extenders (full-time students taking longer than normal to complete a degree), determined by financial need, grade-consciousness, and special situations. Characteristics of these groups are compared with those posited by…