Howard University is refunding more than a hundred soon-to-be graduates half of the tuition they paid out of pocket this semester, an effort to encourage more students to complete their education on time. “We talk about student debt a lot in this country, but a part of the problem is students taking five or six years to graduate,” said Howard President Wayne A.I. Frederick. “The goal here was, in part, to give some incentive to finish on time. And to show that as an institution, we’re not just interested in you getting an education, but we’re also interested in you getting a very good start.”