College Dropout Rate in the U.S.

More than 1 million college students drop out of school each year. From financial strains, to familial responsibilities, to dissatisfaction with their degree program, students often find themselves at a crossroads when deciding whether or not to stay in school.

This report outlines the populations most likely to drop out of college, why they do so, and how dropping out can impact their future.

The Overall College Dropout Rate

As of 2022, approximately 29.2% of students who entered school in 2017 neither earned their degree nor were enrolled at any other institution six years later.^{Note Reference [2]} Because of how recently this data collection period ended, there is still a chance that some of these students will re-enroll or have already re-enrolled at another institution.

For first-year students, the most recent dropout rates are a little clearer.

• Between 2016 and 2021, the average dropout rate for first-year, full-time students was 24.4%.^[6]
• Since 2006-2007, the dropout rate for first-time, full-time, first-year undergraduates has decreased by almost five percentage points.

College Dropout Rates by School Type

For first-year students attending college for the first time, the college dropout rate is highest at public, two-year institutions.^{Note Reference [6]}

• Between 2020 and 2021, 2 in 5 (39%) full-time, first-year undergraduates at public two-year schools — such as community colleges — dropped out of school.
• First-year undergraduates who attended nonprofit four-year institutions had the lowest dropout rate from 2020-2021 at 18.9%.
• Overall, students attending for-profit institutions are historically more likely to drop out than students attending public or nonprofit institutions. However, for-profit two-year institutions buck this trend.

College Dropout Rate Demographics

Different demographic groups, such as those based on race, sex/gender, and age, have varying dropout rates. As with all dropout rates, some students who are counted as dropouts may have transferred to another institution without notifying their first institution.

College Dropout Rates by Race

• Based on 10 years of data spanning 2006-2015, American Indian/Alaska Native first-year students have the highest average dropout rate at about 40%.^{Note Reference [5]} This is roughly 10 percentage points higher than the most recent average dropout rate for all students.
• Black and Pacific Islander first-year students also dropped out at higher rates than Hispanic, White, and Asian students.^{Note Reference [5]}
• Asian students have consistently had the lowest dropout rate after their first year of all other racial/ethnic groups at an average of 15.6%.^{Note Reference [5]}

College Dropout Rates by Gender

Women are more likely to complete college in four years than men, and the data suggests that they are also less likely to drop out of school. However, data directly comparing the percentage of women who drop out to men is scarce.

• About 51% of women who enrolled in college in 2014 completed their degree within four years compared to 41% of men.^[7]
• Women have tended to complete their degree within four years at a rate 26% higher than men on average within the past 10 years of available data.^{Note Reference [7]}
• On average, six years after enrolling, about 23% of women are no longer enrolled in school compared to about 28% of men.^{Note Reference [5]}

Neither the National Center for Education Statistics nor the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports on dropout rates for nonbinary students, transgender students, intersex students, or other students outside of the male/female or man/woman binary.

College Dropout Rates by State

Large states like California, Texas, and New York have the highest number of residents with some college experience yet no degree. However, Oregon has the largest percentage of these individuals relative to the state’s total population.^{Note Reference [3]}

Reasons Why College Students Drop Out

In a 2021 UPCEA survey of 3,236 individuals aged 20-34, the most common reasons students say they ultimately left their institution were money and personal/family issues.^[8]

• Nearly one-third of students (32%) selected personal/family issues as the reason they ultimately left school.
• Just under one-quarter of students (24%) cited money, while 11% said work/pursue a career path, and 10% said they were disinterested/dissatisfied with school.
• Younger students were most likely of any respondents to say disinterest/dissatisfaction with school was their main reason for dropping out.

Economic Impacts of College Dropouts

College dropouts borrow more money on average to pay for school than their counterparts who complete their degrees.^[9] They are also left with less ability to pay back their student loan debt, as dropouts earn less and have higher rates of unemployment than those with degrees.^[10]

• Students who began school in 2003 and were no longer enrolled six years later paid 14-59% more per credit than their counterparts who completed a degree within six years.^{Note Reference [9]}
• As of 2021, those over the age of 25 with some college but no degree had median weekly earnings of $935 and an unemployment rate of 3.5%.^{Note Reference [10]}
• Those over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree or higher took home at least $1,432 in median weekly earnings and had an unemployment rate of 2.2% or less.^{Note Reference [10]}

Frequently Asked Questions About College Dropout Rates