As part of an ongoing commitment to increasing four and six year graduation rates, at the Graduation Rate Task Force recommended a survey of undergraduates to determine why students take fewer than 15 units per term. (A students must average 15 units per term to graduate in four years.) That survey was offered in February and March, with 46% of undergraduates participating. The results of the survey can be found in a report (link found here ) and important findings include:
About half of students reported that they took three courses in winter of 2014 and that they felt 12 units was a full load. However, not all students took what they considered to be full load.
Students indicated that the unavailability of courses, the 16-unit cap and taking fewer courses to protect one's GPA are among the most important reasons they took three courses (instead of four). Lower division courses, mostly in CHASS, that satisfy general education requirements were most commonly mentioned as being difficult to enroll in.
Students in BCoE and CNAS reported trouble registering for courses less frequently, but many of these students saw the extra demands of lab courses as a reason to take just three courses. Upperclassmen were more likely to report higher total number of problems registering for classes but reported less trouble with courses already being full than lowerclassmen.
It is only among students who worked more than 15 hours per week that work schedules were the most important reason for taking fewer than four courses. Students with high GPAs were more likely to take four courses and indicated higher number of units were preferred, although many more of these students indicated that 15 plus units was a full load than were actually taking that many units.
These findings are an important first step in better understanding, and taking steps to improve, UCR's four and six year graduation rates. The Graduation Rate Task Force's report can be found here.