In the US, 4 years is what you shoot for for a BA or BS. If you really wear yourself out and overload, you might be able to do it in three, three and a half, b

In the US, 4 years is what you shoot for for a BA or BS. If you really wear yourself out and overload, you might be able to do it in three, three and a half, but scheduling usually doesn't allow that - between pre-requisites, course limits, course availability, etc. If you've got any kind of hiccup along the way, like failing a class, not getting into courses you need, switching majors, taking a non-off term internship, health issues, etc, you're looking at five years. With the catastrophic cost of a university education, people really have no choice but to take on debt to get a degree - even if you were working full-time, year-round, the wages you'd get as a high school graduate in some shit job don't even cover state-school tuition, let alone a private college, not to mention books, food, a place to live, etc. My dad made about $5k working over the summer in the 70s when he was in college, and I also made about $5k working when I could when I was in college in the 2000s. The difference is, that paid his whole year of school and living expenses, rather than half of one semester of tuition.