When it comes to graduating college, there is no such age that is considered “normal” or “proper” to graduate. Students can take their own time in studying thoroughly and then complete graduation with a sufficient amount of knowledge, which can help students to survive in the competitive world. Students seem to enjoy the learning process as long as they are given a sufficient amount of time to graduate without any parental, societal, or peer pressure.
It is always said that a student should graduate from college as soon as possible, take a good job, start earning. There are no such compulsions as such, as proper learning and its application in the world is the most important aspect of graduation. To contribute to making the world a better and more comfortable place is the way in which one can apply the learned knowledge.
Focussing more on the original question on which the article is based, “At what age do you graduate college? “ and the answer to that is 23-24 years.
23 is considered as the average college graduation age for traditional full-time students who start college at about 18 years of age. Traditional full-time students are likely to graduate college within 4 to 6 years of enrollment and also it depends upon the course that the student chooses to pursue. There are short-term courses, full-time courses, and also diploma courses; all of the courses take a different amount of time to be completed.
People of all ages graduate at their desired time and it is absolutely normal and not an issue. Students theoretically can start college at the age of 18, but in reality, most students seem to start college when they are 19, and thus the students graduate around 22 to 23 years. 24 is also considered as an ideal age to graduate college. Even 25 is also a completely normal age to complete graduation or post-graduation depending upon the course and the other number of factors that can affect like :
- Some students are unable to graduate within the dedicated years of the course, because they face or suffer certain personal and public problems like depression, family issues, financial issues and much more.
- Some students are unable to graduate within the dedicated years of the course, because they are unable to obtain financial aids for completion of the course.
- Some students are unable to graduate within the dedicated years of the course, because they get back logs or are unable to pass the semesters with required marks or grades.
- Some students are unable to graduate within the dedicated years of the course, because they take year offs in between the graduation years, to explore better oppurtunities.
- Some students are unable to graduate within the dedicated years of the course, because everyone has their own pace of studying and grasping. Not all students have same learning capacities and every student is differently gifted with skills.
- Some students are unable to graduate within the dedicated years of the course, because they feel the course they chose is not what they want to study, thus switching fields in between.
It is never too late to earn a degree. A college degree is not bound by age factor and it is always beneficial to gain knowledge at any age. Few people graduate later in life due circumstantial issues while some graduate on time at the given traditional graduation age that is around 22-23. Various surveys and articles state that highest number of college graduates are in between the age group of 22 to 25 years and around 40% of total graduates and post graduates are in between the age group of 25-30 years of age.
Age division and descriptions for a traditional full time student who start college at about 18 years of age. But for independent students the average age for graduation over 24 years of age is 32.
| Average Age of a student | Type of Degree course | Duration of completion |
| 17/18 years | Secondary education completion | Depending upon when a student completes schooling |
| 22/23 years | Bachelor’s Degree | 3/4/5 years for completion depending upon the type of course choosen |
| 24/25 years | Master’s Degree | 2 years usually, still can vary depending upon the type of course choosen |
| 30/31 years 32/33 years | PhDs or Doctorate programs | Usually PhDs and Doctorate programs take 4-6 years to complete which also depends upon the type of course or subject chosen. Some PhD programs even take 6-8 years for completion. |
There are 50-60% of students at most colleges graduate around the age of 24. Some students also take a drop for few years and re-start college several years later as independent students. Older independent students start graduation around the age group of 22-30 years and they have indicated that they have better career success and choice of college major upon delaying college by a few years as a student becomes more mature by passing age, and that can help a student in many ways.
The number of women enrolling and graduating college each year is higher than the number of men enrolling and graduating college. So it is very important and a good idea to find a college that fits a student’s exact age-specific needs and individual age preferences, thus making comfortable and best fit graduation. There are such college students who assume that there is not much they can do other than studying, thus completing studies on time and graduate at an age of 21/22 years which is an average age of graduation.
