More students are dropping out of college — here’s why

Getting
into
college
is
one
thing,
staying
in
is
another.

Although
college
enrollment
declines

leveled
off
this
year,
the
number
of
students
who
started
but
then
withdrew
has
been
on
the
rise,
according
to the National
Student
Clearinghouse
Research
Center.
There
are
now
more
than
40
million
students
who
are
currently
unenrolled.

At
the
same
time,
roughly
26%
of
current
undergraduates
have
seriously
considered
leaving
college
or
are
at
risk
of
dismissal,
according
to
a

separate
report
by
education
lender
Sallie
Mae.

Students
who
are
the
first
in
their
family
to
attend
college
are
much
more
likely
to
consider
leaving
at
some
point,
as
are
minorities
and
low-income
students,
who
may
also
be
juggling
work
commitments,
the
report
found.

“We
need
more
support
for
early
college
planning,
especially
for
first-generation
students
or
those
from
underserved
communities,”
said Rick
Castellano,
a
spokesperson
for
Sallie
Mae. “Often
the
conversation
is
about
access,”
he
added,
but “there
are
a
ton
of
things
we
can
do
to
better
address
college
completion.”

Among
students
who
are
considering
putting
their
education
on
hold,
most
said
it
was
due
to
financial
concerns.
Others
cite
a
loss
of
motivation
or
life
change
followed
by
mental
health
challenges,
Sallie
Mae
found.

About
half
of
students
at
risk
of
dropping
out
said
it
is
difficult
for
them
to
meet
the
cost
of
tuition
as
well
as
other
related
expenses,
such
as
textbooks,
housing
and
food,
according
to
Sallie
Mae.

However, “it’s
harder
to
come
back
after
taking
a
gap
year
or
multiple
gap
years,”
Castellano
also
noted.

“The
best
thing
you
can
do
is
stay
the
course
and
look
for
other
sorts
of
funding,
such
as
scholarships,”
he
said.

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This
could
be
the
best
year
to
lobby
for
more
college
financial
aid

“The
worst
thing
you
can
do
is
have
loans
and
drop
out
because
then
you
have
the
debt
and
not
the
advantage
of
the
degree,”
said
Nancy
Goodman,
founder
of College
Money
Matters,
a
nonprofit
focused
on
helping
high
school
students
and
their
families
make
informed
decisions
about
paying
for
college.

Already,
among
borrowers
who
start
college
but
never
finish,
the
default
rate
is
nearly
three
times
higher
than
the
rate
for borrowers
who
have
a
diploma,
according
to The
Pew
Charitable
Trusts.

“My
advice
is
try
to
find
ways
to
get
through
it
and
borrow
less
money,”
Goodman
said.

Whether
that’s
through
picking
up
a
part-time
job,
taking
extra
classes
in
order
to
graduate
early
or
living
with
a
friend
to
save
on
housing
costs,
she
suggested.