Nationally, 59 percent of students who entered college for the first time as full-time freshmen in 2008 graduated within six years.

US News reports.

5 Tips to Avoid an Extra Year of College

Graduating from college in four years is no longer the norm; many students are taking an extra semester or more to graduate.

“I went a whole first year as a nursing major, so it was a lot of science-based classes and a lot of those didn’t transfer when I switched my major to marketing,” says Hillary Mortellaro, 23, who graduated from San Diego State University in May after completing a fifth year.

Around 19 percent of full-time students at a non-flagship state school and 36 percent of those attending a flagship university earn a bachelor’s degree in four years, according to a report published by Complete College America, a nonprofit group based in Indianapolis. That same report found that only 50 of more than 580 public institutions graduate their students on time.