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Pacific students guaranteed to graduate within four years

students in caps and gowns at a graduation ceremony

Undergraduate students at University of the Pacific have a distinct advantage as they work towards their degrees—a guarantee that they will graduate within four years.

“We are committed to our students’ success,” said Dean of Undergraduate Admission Jeff Levine. “Our guarantee is a promise to students that if you follow our guidelines for staying on track, we will make sure you graduate on time. We want students to get a high-quality education without needing to stay additional years that will cost them more in tuition.”

Nationwide, less than half of students at four-year colleges and universities graduate in four years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

The guarantee applies to undergraduate students in most majors who remain in good standing, meet with their faculty advisor each semester, declare a major on time and follow other guidelines.

“Each student meets with their faculty advisor before they register for classes for the next semester,” said Shelly Gulati, faculty fellow for academic advising and associate professor. “That’s when we check to make sure they are registered for the right classes and that they count towards their major. We also look ahead to when they will take certain classes that may only be offered in the fall or spring.”

Pacific’s small class sizes (14:1 student/faculty ratio) also makes it easier for students to register for required courses, and each school and college has academic coaches who track students’ progress and offer support if they are falling behind.

Students can get additional academic support through the Student Academic Support Services Hub. Its robust services are offered for free and include the Writing Center, the General Academic Tutoring Center, math and bio hubs, research consultations and Collegiate Learning Skills Workshops, which help students learn study skills and test preparation.

“When I first started, I was really struggling in some of my harder classes like physics, so I decided to try tutoring,” said Lanya Liebler-Bendix ’24, a bioengineering major. “They really helped me with my homework and got me back on track in that class.”

The peer tutoring center had more than 1,800 one-on-one appointments during the fall semester.

Students who graduate from Pacific boast tremendous success in the workforce. The university is in the top 2% of alumni earnings among all 4-year colleges and universities and is No. 1 for career earnings among low-income students.

Applications are currently being accepted for fall 2023.