When students head off to college, few probably think about the possibility of dropping out. But recent data shows that becomes the reality for many.
In fall 2022, just over 18 million students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities. But at the current graduation rate, millions of those students will leave school without earning a degree. Graduation rates have stalled in recent years, and as of June 2022 about 62% of college students graduated within six years, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
The reasons students drop out vary, experts say. Academic struggles and financial concerns are significant factors, according to recent research by two California State University–Long Beach professors.
But “anything from transition to college issues, to environmental factors, to things going on at home,” can play a role as well, says Randall Timm, assistant vice president and dean of students at San Diego State University in California. “It really depends on the student’s issue.”
“Students have complicated lives,” adds Timothy M. Renick, executive director of the National Institute for Student Success at Georgia State University.
[See: Don’t Make These 8 Freshman Mistakes in College.]
Typically, students are most vulnerable to dropping out within the first year, Renick says. Roughly 25% of first-year college students don’t return for their second year to any school and about 35% don’t return to the same school, according to the NSCRC. Others might hit a roadblock later on.
Regardless of when students leave, it’s statistically unlikely they will return and finish their degree if they drop out. The NSCRC reported in May 2022 that more than 39 million Americans have “some college, no credential,” a number that rose by 3.1 million from the previous report in 2019. Fewer than one million students who had dropped out re-enrolled during the 2020-2021 academic year, according to the report.
“Once they ‘stop out’ there’s a lot of inertia that is difficult to overcome, and to get them back into college,” Renick says. “So we want to keep the momentum going, and keep people enrolled.”
Here are three main reasons students drop out of college. Spotting the warning signs can be crucial to helping students stay in school and finish their degree, experts say.
Financial Reasons for Dropping Out
The cost of attending college has risen steadily over the past two decades for both in-state and out-of-state private and public national universities. With that has come a steady rise in student loan debt, with an average debt load of about $30,000 for 2021 graduates, according to U.S. News data.
For many students, the cost of college is not feasible.
[Read: How to Pay for College Using These Overlooked Strategies.]
To keep students in school, Spelman College in Georgia offers emergency grants for students who have small balances that might keep them from being able to return to campus, and mentoring for first-generation students, among other initiatives, says Ingrid Hayes, vice president for enrollment management at Spelman. Georgia State also offers emergency grants, Renick says.
Students who are admitted to SDSU out of high school can defer enrollment until their junior year and complete their first two years at a California community college for free under the California Promise Program. Timm says this opportunity has made it more realistic for financially conscious students to pursue and finish a college degree.
Scholarships, grants and other financial aid are also avenues for students to help pay for college.
“There are many different pathways to getting to a college degree, and it’s sometimes best started at a community college,” Timm says. “Our students who are transferring to SDSU are graduating at higher percentages than students who start with us.”
Academic Reasons for Dropping Out
Students who struggle in the classroom are also at a high risk of dropping out, experts say. Once students are enrolled, they should prioritize establishing a strong grade point average early as well as a balanced campus life, Hayes says.
If students begin to struggle, education professionals suggest that they meet with academic advisers right away to get back on track to avoid going on academic probation. And while schools are trying to be proactive to get students to graduation day, they say students need to do the same and plan ahead — even before college.
[Read: How to Get Good Grades in College.]
“It really is important for students to have as much exposure as possible to different types of colleges,” says Hayes, who encourages students to do their research to find a school that is the right fit.
Renick says potential applicants should look at school outcomes, such as graduation rates, including for their own demographics.
Going from high school to college can be a challenge for some students, particularly for those whose high school years were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Timm says. He says he’s noticed that some students are entering college with high GPAs but struggling on placement tests and entry-level courses. “Grade inflation” may be to blame, he says, suggesting that students in some areas benefitted from relaxed grading policies during the pandemic.
But the academic rigor and standards at the university level haven’t changed, he says, and students need to be prepared to make the adjustment.
“It’s definitely been a challenge in the past two years specifically,” he says. “We have students who are not able to really go into those first two classes, and that stumps them up, especially if they felt like, ‘I’ve always been a good student. Why am I not doing well?'”
Georgia State uses predictive analytics to identify when students may be at risk academically. The system considers over 800 risk factors daily, from log-ons to the class learning management platform to grades earned in prerequisite courses, Renick says. Any red flags are reported to a student’s academic advisers.
The school has also formed what Renick referred to as “triage” teams to help students and proactively address their needs before they drop out.
“If somebody is getting off the path, it’s much easier to make the correction if you discover the problem quickly,” Renick says.
Personal Reasons for Dropping Out
Personal and family issues may come up that force students to take time away from college. For some students, taking a mental health break may also be a necessity, Timm says.
Some students may struggle to adjust to in-person classes after becoming accustomed to virtual classes during the pandemic.
“The COVID class is with us now, and I think the loss of interaction over that time really played a difference,” Timm says. “The impact of online learning versus face-to-face learning — there’s a big difference and students have struggled with that.”
For others, college might just be overwhelming, which could be for a variety of reasons, he says.
Timm says SDSU is prepared to respond and help students who seek help when needed or when emergencies arise.
“If a student wants to stay in school, we’re going to help them,” he says. “We’re going to figure out every way that we can to keep them in college and graduating on time. I think that’s really key.”
Returning to College After Dropping Out
Early detection and corrective action are key to retaining students who are at risk of dropping out, experts say. They urge students to seek out campus support services to address whatever financial, academic or personal reasons they have for not continuing.
“I think the important thing is communicating with the administration and the faculty so that they understand that there’s a challenge. You don’t have to disclose all the details … but make sure people understand that there’s a challenge,” says Hayes.
But ultimately, despite a school’s best efforts, some students will drop out. For those who do, there is a path back to college, experts say.
“You always want to make sure that you are in good communication with the college so they’re able to help you and keep you in a good position for whatever the next transition point might be,” Hayes says.
To help with their return, she emphasizes that students need to know their financial and academic standing when they drop out. “Sometimes when people have an emergency, they may just drop everything in that moment,” Hayes says, noting that this can be highly damaging to students’ transcripts and make it more difficult for them to return to campus or transfer to another college.
Those who do manage to re-enroll can find success: According to the NSCRC report, more than 60% of students who re-enrolled in the 2019-2020 academic year “either persevered into the second year or attained a credential within a year of re-enrolling.”
Colleges typically make resources available to some degree even after a student has left, Renick notes. “Even if you’re not enrolled, you can go to the academic support staff at the college or university and they can help work out a plan for you finding a way to get re-enrolled, and hopefully, a plan for you to efficiently reach the point of getting your degree as well,” he says.
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How to Avoid Dropping Out of College originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 02/09/23: The story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
