Obtaining a college degree is essential for building a successful career and achieving financial stability, but many students fail to complete their degrees. As of 2024, approximately 32.9% of college students drop out each year.
Financial struggles are a major factor, with 30% of students identifying money issues as their reason for leaving college.
This article explores current dropout rates, key reasons behind these dropouts, and demographic and state-specific dropout trends.
College Dropout Statistics: Top Picks (2024)
- 32.9% of college students drop out each year.
- The average dropout rate for first-time, first-year students is 19.0% as of 2024.
- Financial challenges account for a 30% dropout rate among college students.
- Computer science majors have the highest dropout rate at 10.7%.
- Nearly one-third of dropouts are due to personal or family issues.
- California has the highest dropout rate, with 6.61 million students in 2023.
- The District of Columbia has the lowest dropout rate, with only 38,620 students in 2023.
Average College Dropout Rates
- According to the latest data, 32.9% of students in undergraduate degree programs drop out.
- The dropout rate for college freshers is 23.3% as of 2024.
- The dropout rate among students aged 16 to 24 years is just 5.3% as of 2024.
- The average dropout rate for first-time first-year college students is 19.0%.
- The computer science major has the highest dropout rate of 10.7%, while the advertising major has the second highest dropout rate at 7.7%.
The following table displays the majors that have the highest dropout rates.
| Major | Dropout Rates |
|---|---|
| Computer science | 10.7% |
| Advertising | 7.7% |
| Agriculture | 7.4% |
| Art | 7.3% |
| Architecture | 7.2% |
- 54.4% of the part-time college students drop out by the end of the 6th year. Comparatively, 49% of the part-time college students drop out by the end of the 4th year.
- 22.9% of full-time college students drop out by the end of the 4th year, while 26.6% of the students drop out by the end of the 6th year.
- 1 in 8 of the people listed as Forbes 400 richest billionaires were college dropouts in 2017.
Source: Yahoo Finance, Lantern, Research.com, WeForum, Research.com
Why Do Students Drop Out Of College?
- 30% of the students drop out of college due to financial challenges as of 2024.
- 32% of the students reported that they left the school due to personal or family issues.
Besides, 24% of the students in the survey stated that they dropped out of college due to a shortage of money. Meanwhile, 11% said they wished to work or pursue a career.
The following table displays the reasons cited by students for dropping out of college.
| Reason For Dropping Out Of College | Percentage Of Students |
|---|---|
| Family/ Personal issues | 32% |
| Money | 24% |
| Wanted to work or pursue a career | 11% |
| Dissatisfied with their school | 10% |
| Time commitment issues | 5% |
| Future schooling plans | 5% |
| Were Stressed/ Difficulty in learning | 4% |
| Academic failure | 4% |
| Wanted to finish a course or graduate | 4% |
| Pandemic | 3% |
| Other | 5% |
| Not sure | 1% |
Source: Best Colleges.
College Dropout Rates By Institution
- Among 4-year students, private for-profit schools have the highest dropout rates of 38% as of 2024.
- 24.4% of first-time, full-time college first-year students dropped out between 2022 and 2023 at 4-year institutions.
- The first-time, first-year students had the lowest dropout rates at for-profit schools, with just 1.63% of college dropout students between the fall semester of 2022 and 2023.
- 16% of the college students at public institutes drop out.
- 19.4% of the college students at 4-year public institutions dropped out of college in 2020. Comparatively, 40.7% of the college students at public 2-year institutes dropped out in 2020.
- 41.4% of the college students enrolled in private 4-year for-profit institutes dropped out in 2020, while 14.1% of the private nonprofit 4-year students dropped out.
- 57% of the students enrolled in four-year programs delayed their courses, while 33% dropped out in 2021.
- Only 17% of the students in public or non-flagship colleges graduate on time, while 36% of the students in private universities graduate on time.
- Only 15.9% of the students graduate from two-year colleges, and only 5% finish their degrees on time.
Source: Education data, Research.com.
College Dropout Rates By State
- California had the highest dropouts in 2023, with 6.61 million dropping out of college.
This was an increase of 4% in the dropout rate compared to that recorded in 2022. At the same time, Texas had the second-highest number of college dropouts at 2.61 million.
The following table displays the states with the highest number of college dropout students in 2023.
| State | Total Dropouts In 2023 | Percentage Change From 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| California | 6,612,278 | 4.00% |
| Texas | 2,614,007 | 4.50% |
| New York | 2,011,385 | 3.20% |
| Illinois | 1,942,815 | 2.70% |
| Florida | 1,661,306 | 4.00% |
| Ohio | 1,398,230 | 2.50% |
| Washington | 1,160,584 | 3.20% |
| Michigan | 1,159,852 | 2.90% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,121,313 | 3.10% |
| North Carolina | 1,109,025 | 2.70% |
- District of Columbia has the lowest dropout rates in the United States, with just 38.62K college dropout students in 2023. However, the dropout rate in D.C. increased by 5.60% compared to that recorded in 2022.
The second-lowest dropout rate is recorded in Vermont, as just 66.96K students dropped out of college in 2023.
The following table displays the States with the lowest dropouts in the country in 2023.
| State | Total Dropouts In 2023 | Percentage Change From 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| D.C. | 38,618 | 5.60% |
| Vermont | 66,956 | 3.50% |
| Delaware | 68,540 | 7.90% |
| South Dakota | 69,787 | 4.10% |
| North Dakota | 75,358 | 3.60% |
| Wyoming | 97,491 | 3.00% |
| Hawaii | 99,625 | 3.50% |
| New Hampshire | 102,777 | 3.00% |
| Montana | 113,914 | 3.50% |
| Alaska | 121,035 | 2.60% |
Source: Education Data,
College Dropout Demographics
- The college dropout rates are low among students aged between 35 and 64 compared to those aged lower than 35 years.
- A higher dropout rate was observed among male students aged below 25. Conversely, a higher dropout rate was recorded for females aged over 25 years.
- According to a 2024 report, among college dropouts who reenroll, 40.4% are men, while 56.6% are female.
- Within six years, 32.4% of female students drop out of college, while the dropout rate for male students is 38.9%.
- The dropout rates of men are higher than those of women in Public Universities and Private Nonprofit Colleges. However, women have higher dropout rates in Private For-Profit Colleges.
Here are further details about the men’s and women’s dropout rates by institutes:
| Institution Type | Women Dropout Rate | Men Dropout Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Public Universities | 33.80% | 39.80% |
| Private Nonprofit Colleges | 28.10% | 35.40% |
| Private For-Profit Colleges | 67.20% | 65.50% |
29. According to a 2024 report, White students make up 32.9% of all college dropouts, while Black students represent 14.1%. Asian students account for 2.6% of dropouts, and American Indian students make up only 1% of the total.
30. Among students aged 16 to 24, American Indians have the highest dropout rate at 9.9%. In contrast, Asian students have the lowest dropout rate in this age group, with just 1.9%. Additionally, 4.3% of White students in this age range also leave college.
Here is a table displaying further details about college dropouts aged 16 to 24 by ethnicity:
| Ethnicity | Dropout Rate (Aged 16-24) |
|---|---|
| Asian | 1.90% |
| White | 4.30% |
| Hispanic | 7.90% |
| American Indian | 9.90% |
| Black | 5.75% |
| More Than One Race | 4.50% |
Source: education data, Research.com,
College Dropout Employment Rates
- Workers who have attended some years of college but have no degree have just 5.5% of the unemployment rate. This is 17% higher than the national average in the United States.
- Workers over 24 years without a college degree make an average of $899 per week. This is 14.9% less than the average worker in the United States.
- Associate degree holders make 7.1% more than the workers aged over 24 with some college but no degree.
- College dropouts earn 11.1% higher salaries compared to the average salary of a worker who has completed just a high school diploma.
- Workers who have completed bachelor’s degrees earn 48.4% higher income than college dropout workers.
- College dropouts made 43.6% higher income compared to those who do not have a high school diploma.
- Workers over 25 with some college but no degree earned a median salary of $935 in 2021. The unemployment rate of the workers in this group was 3.5%.
Source: Education data,
More On College:
- College Enrollment Statistics
- Colleges with the lowest acceptance rates
- Colleges that pay you to attend
Conclusion: The Overall Dropout Rate Of College Students Is 32.9%
Computer science majors struggle with a high dropout rate of 10.7%, while American Indian students aged 16-24 have a dropout rate of 9.9%. In contrast, Asian students in this age group enjoy the lowest dropout rate at just 1.9%.
Overall, the college dropout rate stands at 32.9%. Furthermore, nearly one-third of students who drop out point to personal or family issues as significant factors in their decision, highlighting the complex and varied reasons why students leave college.
Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see if advancements in AI technology, e-learning, and other initiatives designed to combat dropout rates will successfully reduce the number of students leaving college or if this troubling trend will persist.
