Full-Time Enrollment Is Not the Goal. Instead Graduate with Clarity, Confidence, and Relevant Experience.

Years ago, when I served as a dean, our district launched a “Take One More Course” campaign.  The research we cited at the time was clear: students who attend full-time are statistically more likely to persist and complete their degree. And because completion was the institutional "north star," everything aligned around increasing unit load. 

Counselors were trained explicitly to encourage 15 units. Schedules were built around it. Messaging reinforced it. “Full-time equals success.”  Posters were created highlighting “Take One More Course!”  We even made personal phone calls to students enrolled in 12 units to try to convince them to add another class.

It was logical.

It was well-intentioned.

And I now believe it was incomplete.

We Optimized for the Wrong Variable

What if full-time enrollment isn’t the lever we think it is?

I know this is counterintuitive…stay with me here.  What if pushing 15 units, without regard to relevant work-based experience, actually limits long-term student success?

Over the past several years, I’ve interviewed dozens of employers across industry sectors: private, public, union, non-union, and nonprofit. I ask a consistent set of questions:

• Does it matter how long it took someone to complete their degree?

• Does a three or four-year associate degree hurt their chances?

• Does a six-year bachelor’s degree raise concerns?

Not once has an employer said, “Yes, that timeline disqualifies them.”

Not a single hiring manager has told me they penalize a candidate because the credential took longer than a catalog plan.

What they do care about, however (consistently and without exception) is relevant experience.

They care about whether the candidate understands the environment.

They care about cultural alignment.

They care about practical competence.

They care about whether onboarding will be efficient.

They care about retention and long-term contribution.

Duration of enrollment? Irrelevant.

Demonstrated capability? Essential.

A Conversation in the Back of an Uber

Recently, I took an early morning Uber to the airport. My driver shared that she was enrolled in the local community college, pursuing pre-nursing. She was driving part-time while attending school full-time.

As we talked, I asked whether she had considered working in a clinical environment instead of driving an Uber (or in addition to driving part time). Perhaps as a CNA, or a medical receptionist, or in any setting that would expose her to patient care workflows.  Her response stopped me.

“My counselor told me not to work. They said I should focus only on school and take a full load of courses to be sure to graduate on time.”

The advice was well-meaning. It was aligned with institutional metrics. It was rooted in persistence data. It is what I heard for years around the conference table, especially when enrollments were low. 

And yet, it was deeply misaligned with labor market reality.

If she follows that guidance, she will graduate with:

• A GPA

• A transcript

• A credential

But she may lack:

• Industry exposure

• Professional references

• Mentorship

• Social capital

• Practical insight into her chosen field

• Clarity about whether this career truly fits her

• Confidence about her selected field and program of study 

• Relevant work experience

  
  

Imagine instead if she took 9-12 units and worked 15-20 hours per week in a relevant setting.

She would graduate not only with a credential, but also with:

• Verified experience

• Professional relationships

• A network

• Cultural fluency

• A résumé that tells a story

• Confidence and intrinsic motivation

  
  

That difference determines who secures the first interview.

The Structural Tension We Must Confront

Let’s be honest.  Institutions are rewarded for full-time enrollment rates, time-to-completion metrics, and completion percentages.  That’s how some are funded. 

They are not rewarded for: Post-graduation clarity, career alignment, quality of first employment, retention in chosen industry, or wage progression.  

So, understandably, we optimize what is measured.

But if our real mission is student flourishing, not just institutional optics, then our metrics must evolve.

Completion is not the (primary) goal.

Completion with clarity, confidence, and competitive advantage is the real goal.

And those are not the same thing.

The Data Is Shifting

National data show that a significant percentage of college graduates are underemployed within a year of graduation. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has reported underemployment rates of around 40% for recent graduates in certain cohorts.

At the same time, employer surveys consistently rank applied experience, internships, and problem-solving ability above GPA as hiring differentiators. The National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook reports regularly reinforce this.

We cannot ignore this misalignment.

When we push students to accelerate seat time at the expense of experience, we are trading short-term persistence metrics for long-term employability.

That is not student-centered.

It is system-centered.

Reframing the Goal

The question isn’t whether full-time enrollment increases completion rates.

It often does.

The question is: Completion toward what?

If the endpoint is merely degree attainment within a certain time frame, then 15 units makes sense.  Keep pushing it regardless of each student’s capabilities, interests, or personal situation.  

But if the ultimate endpoints are employability, purpose alignment, competitive experiences, and long-term contribution, then experience must be embedded in their experience. Not ignored or postponed.

We have to stop asking, “How fast can you finish?”

And start asking, “How prepared will you be when you do?”

Three Next Steps to Shift a College’s Focus

If you’re serious about evolving your institutional priorities, here are three possible places to start:

1. Redefine “Full-Time” Around Integrated Experience

• Pilot a policy shift that treats 9–12 units plus 15–20 hours of verified, relevant work experience as an endorsed pathway considered full-time and not a deviation.

• Build language into advising scripts and materials that value applied learning equally with enrolled units and seat time.

• Make it culturally safe for students to take a slightly longer path if it results in a stronger launch.  Promote and make posters and social media posts, provide student testimonials, and even host open-house events) with encouraging language, regardless of the duration. 
  

2. Track Post-Graduation Outcomes That Actually Matter

Move beyond completion metrics and start publicly tracking and disseminating on your dashboard or “About Us” page:

• Employment in the field within 6–12 months

• Median starting wage by program

• Retention in the field after two years

• Employer satisfaction
  

When institutions measure different outcomes, officially or unofficially, behavior changes.

3. Incentivize Counselors and Faculty Differently

Train advising teams to ask:

• “What relevant experience are you gaining alongside your coursework?”

• "How could we help you shift your employment into a more relevant position?"

• “Who in your chosen industry knows your name?  Are you conducting Informational Interviews?”

• “Have you identified industry certificates, credentials, or experiences that will give you an advantage after graduation?”
  

You know that Enrollment Management plan you worked so hard on?  It’s great.  But do you also have a Workforce Preparation Plan for all students?  Want to really crush it?  Include workforce-connected activities in job descriptions and professional development priorities.  

We have spent decades outlining and perfecting pathways to completion.

Now we must perfect pathways to contribution.

The future belongs to institutions bold enough to say: “We are not in the business of graduating transcripts. We are in the business of graduating ready humans.”

If you’re ready to reframe your institutional goal and build structures that support it, I’d welcome the conversation.

Because the status quo is efficient.

But it’s increasingly insufficient.