FREMONT, Neb. (AP) – Midland University in Fremont will soon guarantee a four-year path to graduation, starting with the 2012 freshman class. The guarantee comes with certain conditions, including that students declare a major by the start of their sophomore year. They must also maintain a typical course load as a full-time student and earn passing credit. If a student meeting the conditions doesn’t graduate in four years, Midland will cover tuition and fees for as long as it takes the student to complete the degree. The initiative is intended to combat a trend of declining four-year degree-completion rates in the U.S. Midland is not the first to address the trend. A handful of U.S. colleges have begun offering three-year programs, the norm for undergraduate degrees in Europe.