In the United States, I think the larger problem is that expensive college became the default. It also became common for universities to increase the course req

In the United States, I think the larger problem is that expensive college became the default. It also became common for universities to increase the course requirements for graduation, making it more difficult to graduate in 4 years. At my alma mater, the average time to degree was 4.25 years during my cohort [1]. Fortunately, this graph seems to be moving downward, and is currently at 3.95. However, my guess is that it's still particularly rough for engineering students. During my time, if you transferred into engineering, you were guaranteed to take 5 years. Naturally, the university doesn't have a strong incentive to correct this (more semesters = more $$$). At least until admissions start declining as more people learn about it. [1] https://www.purdue.edu/datadigest/?dashboard=Degrees_TTD_1 https://www.purdue.edu/datadigest/?dashboard=Degrees_TTD_1