Report Shows Link Between Timely Graduation and Income

A report by the University of Tennessee Center for Business and Economic Research finds students who earn their bachelor's degrees within four years make higher salaries. 

The study was done in cooperation with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. THEC policy adviser David Wright tells WMOT-FM in Murfreesboro the finding was a surprise. Wright says the best guess is students who finish in four years are better focused and self-motivated - qualities that employers value. The research shows students who take six or more years to complete a bachelor's degree generally earn the same amount as students who didn't complete degrees. That's up to $13,000 less per year than four-year finishers.