It's Guaranteed: You Will Graduate From DePauw in Four Years

January 11, 1994

January 11, 1994, Greencastle, Ind. - At a time when many students are taking five and even six years to graduate from universities around the country because of the increasing difficulty of getting into required classes, DePauw University is guaranteeing that its students can graduate in four years. DePauw President Robert G. Bottoms announced today that the 2,000 student university will guarantee graduation in four years for students in 40 standard four-year programs, beginning with students entering in the fall of 1994.

If a student is unable to complete a course of study agreed upon with an academic adviser within eight consecutive semesters, DePauw will waive tuition and fees for any subsequent course work necessary for graduation, Bottoms said. To be eligible for the graduation guarantee students must select a major by the middle of their sophomore year, continue in that major, and successfully complete a full-time course load with grades of C or higher. They must complete a total of 31 course credits over eight consecutive semesters. 

"At many institutions in the country, decreased budgets, cutbacks in faculty, and reductions in services are causing students to find it is just not possible to get the classes they need to graduate in four years. This creates financial burdens on students and their parents in terms of additional tuition, and it also causes students to delay entering the job market or postpone graduate study," President Bottoms said. "With our guarantee DePauw is reaffirming its mission as a four-year liberal arts university," Bottoms said. "With appropriate planning, most students can participate in special honors programs, off-campus study opportunities, prepare for teacher certification, and have a minor or even a second major in four years at DePauw."

DePauw provides accessibility to classes, individual attention from advisers for academic planning, and a 12-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio. All classes are taught by professors and not graduate assistants. These advantages help DePauw students complete a degree in four years, according to Bottoms. All of DePauw's standard four-year degree programs are included in the graduation guarantee except the music education degree programs and the double major in music composition and performance in the School of Music.

Founded in 1837, DePauw University is a selective, coeducational, liberal arts university with nationally recognized academic programs. Fortune magazine in 1990 ranked DePauw 11th among all colleges and universities in the nation in terms of the likelihood that its graduates will become chief executive officers of top American companies. DePauw ranks 12th in the nation among private liberal arts colleges as the baccalaureate source for Ph.D. degrees in all fields, according to a 1990 survey by Franklin and Marshall College.

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