Are less Americans going to college?

College enrollment among young Americans has been declining gradually over the past decade. In 2022, the total number of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college was down by approximately 1.2 million from its peak in 2011. Most of the decline is due to fewer young men pursuing college.

Why are fewer Americans going to college?

American college enrollments are falling, even as they are increasing in comparable countries. One culprit could be the cost: while college graduates earn more, the debt they accumulate often wipes out much of that advantage.

Is US college enrollment declining?

Today, fewer people are going to college than in recent years. In 2021, 15.4 million students were enrolled in an undergraduate degree program. That's the lowest fall enrollment since 2006. The NSCRC estimates that even fewer undergraduates were enrolled in spring 2023, just 14.1 million students.

What percent of Americans go to college?

As previously stated, around 44% of Americans 25 and older have attended college and completed their degree programs. The grand majority of these degree-holders possess a bachelor's degree. 35% of those over 25 have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Are less students going to college 2023?

Declines in first-year students were concentrated at four-year colleges, public and private. Enrollment of this group fell 6.1% at public four-year colleges and 4% at private nonprofits. The first-year population at community colleges, meanwhile, mostly held steady, declining by only 0.2%.

STUDY: Less And Less Americans Find Value In A College Education

Are more people going to college now than before?

College enrollment totaled 15.44 million undergraduate students nationwide in fall 2021, a 21% decline year-over-year (YoY). The number of total enrolled postsecondary students declined 4.9% from 2019 to 2021, the most significant rate of decline in enrollment since 1951.

Are college dropouts increasing?

When we compare the six-year rates and the eight-year rates, and we look at who's still enrolled at the end of six years, what we see is that more students are stopping out [that is, withdrawing from college and university] altogether,” Shapiro said.

What is the most educated race in the United States?

Asian Americans had the highest educational attainment of any race, followed by whites who had a higher percentage of high school graduates but a lower percentage of college graduates. Persons identifying as Hispanic or Latino, without regard to race, had the lowest educational attainment.

What percent of Gen Z goes to college?

What is the percentage of Gen Z students attending college compared to previous generations? Gen Z students are attending college at slightly lower rates compared to previous generations; 65% of Gen Z students are enrolled in college, compared to 67% of Millennials at the same age.

How educated is the average American?

In 2021, about 37.7 percent of the U.S. population who were aged 25 and above had graduated from college or another higher education institution, a slight decline from 37.9 the previous year.

Why aren t students going to college?

While higher education has long been viewed as key to achieving the American Dream, surging tuition costs, a hot labor market, and campus politics may be why college enrollment in the US has fallen in the last decade.

Why is enrollment decreasing?

The system is continuing to project that it will be 7% below its state-funded target of 383,680 for resident students during the 2022-23 academic year — that's more than 25,000 full-time equivalent students. The decreases are due to the effects of the pandemic and long-term declining birth rates.

Why are universities struggling?

About 95% of U.S. colleges rely on tuition, according to Franek, meaning they rely on money from students to operate. Dwindling enrollment numbers mean less money, fewer student offerings and eventually a shuttered institution.

What is the biggest reason people don't go to college?

Among adults without a degree who aren't currently enrolled, 55% reported program costs as a “very important” reason why they're not in college, while 45% blamed concerns about affordability due to inflation and 38% cited the need to work.

How many Americans don't go to college?

How many people don't go to college? In 2021, roughly 62% of people ages 18-24 were not enrolled in college. According to the Census Bureau's population estimates, that's about 19.3 million people.

Why is going to college better than not going?

Higher Potential Earnings

To put it simply, you are more likely to earn more money if you have a degree. In fact, over a lifetime, students with a college degree stand to earn $500,000 more than those without one.

Which generation is most educated?

According to our research, millennials are the most educated generation in American history. Approximately 38 percent of millennials have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 32 percent of Generation X and 15 percent of baby boomers when they were the same age.

What is Gen Z doing instead of college?

That figure has soared, and students are flocking to massive open online courses (MOOCs). In 2011, 300,000 students enrolled in MOOCs; by 2021, that number exploded to 220 million. The message is clear: Gen Z still values education; they just want it faster, cheaper, and more aligned with their career goals.

How long will Gen Z live?

Compared to the 70-year life expectancy of baby boomers and the 85-year life expectancy of Gen X, Gen Z is predicted to have a life expectancy of over 100 years. Major factors contributing to the same are improvements in the standard of living, medical progress, and health consciousness.

What race is least likely to graduate?

Black college students have lower six-year completion rates for any type of degree or certificate program than any other racial or ethnic group because of racial discrimination, the high cost of higher education and a multitude of external responsibilities, according to a new Lumina Foundation-Gallup 2023 State of ...

What race holds the most degrees?

College degrees are increasing among all racial and ethnic groups, but white and Asian Americans are far more likely to hold a college degree or earn one than Black, Hispanic or Native Americans. Earning a college degree involves two steps: starting college and finishing college.

Who is the smartest demographic in the United States?

Asian Americans enrolled in college at the highest rate: 60%. Overall, white and Asian students earn bachelor's and graduate degrees at higher rates than other racial groups. 2022 Census data reports the following rates of attaining a bachelor's degree or higher by racial and ethnic identity: Asian: 32.6%

How many people regret dropping out of college?

When we asked 1,000 college dropouts with educational debt, “Do you regret dropping out of college?” almost three-fourths, 70.60 percent, of them said “yes.” Only 14.10 percent of poll participants claimed they had not regretted their decisions to leave college before graduating.

Who is most at risk of dropping out of college?

In addition, “first generation students” or students whose parents have not obtained a college degree, tend to leave college more, as they comprise 40% of college dropouts (EDI, 2021). Granted, 89% of those coming from low-income families are also more likely to drop out of university (ThinkImpact, 2021).

What state has the highest dropout rate?

2013–2017 average status dropout rates by state

The average 2013–2017 status dropout rates ranged from 3.8 percent in Massachusetts to 9.6 percent in Louisiana (figure 2.6 and table 2.3).