"To complete a four year degree requires a commitment, a life-altering personal financial cost, and most importantly, a willingness to abide by the rules and pr

"To complete a four year degree requires a commitment, a life-altering personal financial cost, and most importantly, a willingness to abide by the rules and procedures of a complex organization, " In many countries it really doesn't involve taking on life-altering debt. For many other students, their parents can pay. As far as the aspects of formal discipline and authority are concerned, there are many programmes in which those just aren't an issue. Well prepared students will just experience the academic side of college as a continuation and development of their secondary education. You make four-year degrees sound like a tough military boot camp that weeds out weaker candidates. That's probably true of some institutions, either from the academic or the disciplinary angle. But if you consider how many people overall successfully graduate, having a degree just isn't a very informative signal.