New Study examines College Dropout Rate

A new study finds 31-million students who enrolled in college in the last 20 years left without receiving a degree or certificate. Almost a third or 10-million, decided pretty quickly that college wasn’t for them and left school after only one semester, but 4-million had made at least 2 years of progress in their education. Study author Dr. Doug Shapiro gives the main reasons students drop out of college. “They leave due to financial reasons, they leave due to family obligations or employment shifts, they might have to move to a different city because of their job.” A post-secondary degree is worth the cost, adds Dr. Shapiro. “All of the economic data tell us that a post-secondary degree is very much worth the cost in terms of the return on investment that you get from increased wages over a working lifetime.” Dr. Shapiro says college dropouts should be encouraged to go back because it could help the nation reach the goal of increasing the number of adults who have some kind of post-secondary credential. “We know that there are a lot more institutions that are offering programs that are more tailored to the needs of working adults or adults with family obligations, so that they can study online or on weekends.” The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center conducted the study on American college dropouts.