Once a student signs the graduation contract, he or she will work closely with an adviser dedicated to helping the student achieve the four-year graduation goal. The adviser will help plot a degree plan, assist in obtaining required courses, and monitor the student's academic progress. If a required course is not available, the campus will approve a substitute or waive the requirement. If for some unlikely reason a student follows the recommended schedule of classes, does passing work, and still does not meet the requirements of his or her major, the UW will pay for any additional classes needed to graduate. Students who know what they want and who are able to sign the four-year graduation contract will help every UW campus to schedule faculty and instructional resources more efficiently.
Some undergraduates switch academic majors well into their undergraduate experience.
Others don't choose a major until after their sophomore year. Some students, for financial reasons, take a lighter credit load each semester to accommodate work needed to pay for college expenses. Still others have family responsibilities, or opt to pursue a double major. All of these can legitimately extend a student's program. A recent study by the UW Board of Regents found that since the early 1970s, less than 25 percent of new freshmen in the UW System have graduated in four years or less.