Education
Programme length is a cost, not just a schedule
An extra year is an extra year of living expenses and of earnings not earned, which is usually larger than the tuition differences people compare.
Comparisons tend to focus on tuition because it is the published number. The larger variable for most people is time: an additional year means another year of housing, food and transport, and another year out of full-time earnings.
So the question worth asking each institution is what proportion of students finish in the advertised time, and what the common reasons are when they do not. Course availability, sequencing and placement requirements are frequent causes and are specific to each programme.
Aid has time limits attached. There are caps on how long certain federal aid can be received and requirements about academic progress, so a programme that runs long can run past the point where aid continues.
Accelerated options, credit by examination and summer terms can shorten things, and each has its own trade-off in intensity. These are worth asking about before enrolling rather than once behind.
What to do next. Ask each programme what share of students finish on time and what usually causes delays.
studentaid.gov outranks this page. Rules, figures and dates change
between academic years. This is written to help you read the official sources, not to
stand in front of them. Start there.
Nothing here is a determination. We cannot tell you what you qualify
for, and no website can. The programme and the office that runs it decide that, after
you apply.
Still have a question?
Describe what you are trying to work out and a member of the team will answer, or direct you to the office that makes the decision.