Universities love to market mechanical engineering as a “four-year program.” In reality, almost no one makes it out on time. Only about 22 percent of STEM students graduate in four years (Malcom, 2016). Engineering-specific graduation rates are even worse: barely a third finish in four years, while six-year rates hover near 60 percent (American Society for Engineering Education, 2017).
Compared to non-STEM majors, engineers are far more likely to find themselves stuck in school long after the glossy brochures say you’ll be done. Mechanical engineering is one of the worst offenders. Rigid course sequencing means a single failed or dropped class such as Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, or Dynamics can set you back an entire year, since these prerequisite-heavy courses are usually offered only once annually. ABET accreditation locks the curriculum into a rigid checklist, leaving little flexibility to swap electives or shuffle schedules, see Reason #4.
The slip often starts even earlier. The 100 and 200 level math, physics, and chemistry sequences gate everything that comes after. Precalculus feeds Calculus I, which feeds Calculus II, which feeds Physics I and II. Trigonometry sits behind Calc I at many schools. General chemistry may require an elementary chemistry course first. These are taken in order, not in parallel, and they are easy to stumble. One placement, one drop, or one C that forces a retake cascade into an extra semester before you even reach the core ME courses.
The result is a degree that drags on and on, while the “hands-on innovation” promised in recruiting brochures rarely appears until capstone projects, if at all. National Center for Education Statistics data confirm the bigger picture: only 44 percent of students at public universities graduate in four years, and engineering majors are even worse (NCES, 2023). Students themselves acknowledge the grind. One Reddit commenter described engineering as “five years, minimum… if you finish faster, you are above the norm” (u/laz1b01, 2024). Another put it bluntly: “It typically took about five years to earn a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering” (CareerVillage contributor, 2023).
The outcome is grim but predictable. You bleed away extra tuition, rack up additional debt, and lose a year or two of earnings before even hitting the job market. When you finally graduate, the market is already oversaturated. You spent the extra time and money just to arrive later at the back of the same line.
References
American Society for Engineering Education. (2017). Engineering by the numbers: Four-year vs six-year graduation rates (Benchmark 2.1 & 3). Retrieved from https://ira.asee.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2017-Engineering-by-the-Numbers-3.pdf
Malcom, S. (2016). Only 22 percent of STEM students graduate in four years. National Academies Press. Retrieved from https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/21836/chapter/6
National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Undergraduate retention and graduation rates. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/ctr
Reddit user laz1b01. (2024). The average for engineering is 5 yrs (so if you finish faster, you are above the norm). r/EngineeringStudents. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/EngineeringStudents/comments/tdig7o/is_it_common_to_take_56_years_to_graduate/
CareerVillage contributor. (2023). It typically took about five years to earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Retrieved from https://www.careervillage.org/questions/115619/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-your-bachelors-degree
