I didn’t know how to graduate college early when I enrolled in school.
In fact, neither of my parents have a higher education and almost every friend I had at the time I entered college was either my own age or a few years younger.
So basically, I was on my own.
Little did I know I’d actually be able to finish my bachelor’s degree in only three years, instead of the traditional four.
It seems pretty crazy considering I had absolutely no idea how college worked when I first started, yet once I learned how to graduate college in 3 years it wasn’t actually as difficult as I would have thought.
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I’ve obviously come a long way since I began school, so I thought that I’d share a bit of that knowledge and wisdom for any of you who may be experiencing a similar situation.
If graduating early is something that you’re considering, or even if you’re totally unsure about the whole thing, check out the information below.
I truly wish that I had had someone to help me figure all of this out when I was designing my educational career path, so I hope that this can help steer you in the right direction.
Should I Graduate College Early?
Before we dive into the actual steps on how to graduate college early, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of graduating early to help you determine if you should actually do it.
It’s a big life decision, so it’s important to consider all the factors below before making a final choice about your educational path.
Related: How to Make the Most of the Fall Semester at College
Shop My Graduation Outfit:
White Lace Dress || Tan Booties With Heel || Chalkboard Sign
Pros of and Cons of Graduating College in Three Years: The Pros
Saving Money
Money is a huge factor to consider when you’re planning your educational path, especially if you’re taking out loans.
Graduating even a semester early can really lighten the financial burden that you may wrack up while pursuing your degree.
Start Your Career Earlier
Graduating early means that you have the opportunity to jumpstart your career.
One great option is to take the extra time and money you’ve saved to pursue a serious internship with potential future employment opportunities.
You can also apply for entry level jobs in your field and ultimately move up the ranks sooner in your career than if you had graduated a year later.
Potential Gap Year
In Europe, it’s common for students to take a gap year between their undergraduate education and their entry into graduate school or full-time employment.
This isn’t as common in America, but since you’re graduating early this could be the perfect time to travel and explore the world.
Too many people put this off until later in their lives, and end up struggling to find time to take off of work, manage their growing families, etc.
You’re only 20 once, so get out there and live it up before you acquire the many responsibilities of real adulthood.
Freedom/Independence
Graduating early means that you’re gaining your independence early too.
This could be a pro or a con depending on your personality type, but I see this as overwhelmingly positive.
I couldn’t wait to escape the mundane classroom setting and get out into the real world, solving real problems (and making real money).
There’s a lot of exciting factors to adult life that I looked forward to while I was in college, and I ultimately don’t regret moving into that stage a bit earlier than my peers.
Pros of and Cons of Graduating College in Three Years: The Cons
Less Time for Internships
This was the biggest downside that my academic advisor reminded me of when we discussed my plan on how to graduate undergrad early.
It’s essential to be proactive and get involved both on campus and with internship opportunities early on to ensure you get the kind of experience that will be essential when you’re applying for jobs.
Less Time to Complete a Minor
Depending on how many credits you have when you come into college, graduating with a minor can be more difficult when you choose to complete your degree ahead of schedule.
You have less time to get all of your credits in, so you may have to choose between completing a minor or graduating early depending on the number of credits you have/need.
You’ll need to weigh carefully whether it’s worth it to graduate early or minor in something and spend more time at school.
Related: How I Stay Fit at College
You Won’t Graduate with the Class you Came into College With
The majority of my closest friends in college were actually a year older than me, meaning that I graduated with my best friends regardless of my decision to finish my degree early.
However, most people make their closest friends within their class year, and graduating early means that you won’t get to graduate with these friends that you’ve shared your college experience with.
You May Not be Able to Study Abroad
Depending on when you take your general education requirements, studying abroad may or may not be possible if you’re graduating early.
For me, I finished my liberal arts courses my freshman year, meaning there were no classes that I needed to take (only liberal arts courses are offered abroad at my college) that were available abroad.
If you want to study abroad, make sure you save some of these requirements for the time that you’re planning on traveling instead of trying to finish them up ASAP, like I did.
How to Graduate College Early — The Ultimate Guide
While there isn’t one hard and fast rule on how to graduate college early, there are lots of little things you can do to speed up your education and graduate a year or more early.
Take Advanced Placement Courses (High School) — BIGGEST Thing That Helped Me on How to Graduate College Early
If you’re reading this article and you’re still in high school, you’re in luck.
One of the easiest ways to make sure you graduate college early is to start making moves before you even enroll.
Sign up for as many Advanced Placement courses as you can handle, and find out if your school is partnered with a local university.
In my high school, I not only had access to advanced placement courses but also a few courses taught by teachers that were certified by a local university. All I had to do was pay a certain amount of money to the local university (much less than if I was an enrolled college student), and of course pass the course to gain the credit.
Taking college courses in high school not only saves you time and allows you how to graduate undergrad early, but it saves you SO much money!
Advanced Placement courses usually only require you to pay for the exam, which was under $100 when I was in school.
The credits from Advance Placement transfer over seamlessly for most universities and typically count towards your mandatory liberal arts courses that are a standard part of most bachelor’s degrees.
Sign up for Maximum Credits Each Semester
Another way for how to graduate college early is by taking the maximum amount of credits each semester.
For most schools, this is 18 credits (usually six, three credit courses)
Sometimes you can take more than 18, but they will start charging you more money per semester than regular tuition.
Related: How to Make a Study Guide and Ace ALL of Your Exams
Take Summer Courses
Can you graduate college early by taking summer classes?
Yes. If you’re interested in how to graduate early, you’ll want to look into taking summer courses.
You will usually have to pay additional fees because you are taking courses outside of the typical semester, but this is still a good option if you’re determined to graduate college early.
It can also still end up saving you money in the long run, when you consider how much another full semester would be (food, housing, tuition, etc.) if you didn’t complete a few courses during the summertime and had to come back to campus as a full time or even part time student.
Plan How to Graduate College Early With Your Academic Advisor
Last but not least, make sure you work with your academic advisor to develop a plan on how to graduate college early.
Everyone’s situation is unique, depending on your educational history, college major, learning style, etc.
It’s your academic advisor’s job to help make sure you graduate on time and take all the courses you need, so take advantage of it and seek help when you need it.
Do I Regret Graduating College Early?
One question you might have is whether or not I regret graduating college early.
The truth is, I do not have any regrets.
The first year after I graduated I did somewhat long for my college routine and being surrounded by my friends all the time (I moved back in with my parents for awhile to save money to buy my house — this is how I bought a house in my twenties).
I don’t think I fully appreciated my life on campus until it was over.
People tell you all the time that your college years are some of the best years of your life, but it’s hard to believe that when you’re living it.
Though I do feel nostalgic looking back on my time at college and living with my friends, I still don’t regret graduating college early.
Graduating college in three years saved me a lot of money and allowed me to move forward with the next phase of my life.
In the three years since I’ve graduated I’ve adopted more pets, boughten a house, and gotten married.
No matter how you look at it, life is good!
Did this post help you understand how to graduate early? Do you think the pros outweigh the cons, or vice versa?
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