Normal time

The institution publishes the normal time for each program in the catalog. IPEDS graduation-rate and Outcome Measures calculations use that published length to set the 100 percent, 150 percent, and 200 percent windows. SAP policies set the maximum timeframe at 150 percent of the same published length. Students and advisors use normal time as the starting point for planning, then adjust for part-time loads or transfer credit.

Example: a bachelor’s program lists normal time as four years (120 credits). The 150 percent graduation-rate window is six years. The SAP maximum timeframe is 180 credits. A full-time student who completes 15 credits per term finishes in normal time; a half-time student requires approximately eight years of elapsed time.

Time-to-degree is the actual duration experienced by students. Maximum timeframe is 150 percent of normal time for aid purposes. Academic year is a calendar construct, not a program-length construct. Normal time is the institution’s stated full-time duration.

Treating normal time as a guarantee that every full-time student will finish in that period. Applying the four-year normal time of a bachelor’s program to an associate program. Ignoring that part-time enrollment extends elapsed time far beyond normal time.