College Dropout Rates 2023-24 (Demographic Stats)

Obtaining a college degree is often seen as an important step toward career and financial success. However, many students who begin college end up leaving before completing their degree. 

In fact, recent statistics show that the college dropout rate in the United States hovers around 40%. 

Moreover, Students frequently find themselves confused when deciding whether to continue their education due to financial constraints, family responsibilities, or dissatisfaction with their degree course.

Research shows dropouts face more economic difficulties due to a lack of college qualifications, connections, and professional life experiences. 

This article discusses the college dropout rates, the reasons why students drop out, dropouts in various states in the US, and the consequences for those who choose to do so.

US College Dropout Rates: General Stats

1. High school dropout rates are decreasing. The US experiences 40% of the college dropout rate each year. 
2. The percentage of college students that drop out in the first year is 30%.
3. The average dropout rate for the first year between 2015- 2020 was 24.3%.
4. For first-year students who are attending college for the first time, the college dropout rate is highest at public schools. 

Here is the data of students who drop out after their first year by institute type. (2019)

Institute Type	Drop out percentage
Public (four years)	17.6%
Private profit-based college (four years)	36.8%
Non-profit private (two years)	31.9%
Non-profit private (four years)	19.5%
Public two year	39.5%
Profit-based private (two years)	32.6%

(Source: NCES)

5. Between 2019 and 2020, two out of five (39.5%) first-year undergraduates at the public school dropped out of the school.
6. In 2020, first-year undergraduates who have attended public four-year schools had the lowest dropout rate at 17.6%.
7. Students who are attending profit-based colleges are more likely to drop out than students who are attending public or nonprofit colleges. 
8. The majority of college dropouts are first-year students
9. Computing has the highest college dropout rate, at 10.7%.
10. The national dropout rate for six-year colleges has decreased by 1.2%.
11. The cost of studying is one of the main reasons students drop out of college, according to 2022 college dropout rate statistics.
12. In 2019, nearly 36% of those aged 25 and up in the United States completed college or another institution of higher education. More than half of all community college students drop out within six years.
13. According to college dropout statistics, only 11.6% of students who drop out will transfer and complete their degrees elsewhere.
14. According to the data from What to Become, students aged between 24-29 are more likely to drop out of four-year colleges. Moreover, 52.5% of them have already left without a degree.
15. Around 30% of the student dropouts re-enroll in college to finish their degree.
16. 47% of adults suffering from schizophrenia drop out of college.

College Dropout Rate Demographics

Dropout rates vary by various demographic groups, like race, gender, and age. Sometimes students who are counted as dropouts may have been admitted to another college without informing their first college, as is the case with all dropout rates.

Race and Ethnicity

17. Asian students are more likely to drop out of college.
18. Based on the data from 2006 to 2013, American Indian or Alaska Native first-year students have the highest dropout rate with 41%.
19. Black and Pacific Islander students are more likely to drop out than Hispanic, White, and Asian students.
20. Also, Asian students have consistently had the lowest dropout rates after the first year than other racial groups by an average of 16.6%.

Race	Dropout rates of students (2021)
American Indian and Alaska Native	38%
Black	35%
Hispanic	40%
Two or more races	24%
White	38%
Asian	19.1%

(Source: ThinkImpact, EDI)

Asians

21. Asian students have a 19.1% dropout rate, which is the lowest among ethnic demographics.
22. According to ThinkImpact in 2021, 72% of the Asian students in the US finished their degrees, with 61% of them from the same college and 8% of them from different colleges.
23. 10% of the Asian students dropped out of four-year degree programs, and 35% dropped out of two-year programs.

White

24. 67% of the white students finished the complete degree 52% of them from the same college and 11% of them from different colleges.
25. 21% of the white students did not finish college.
26. Approximately 38% of white students drop out of college within six years of enrollment.

Hispanic:

27. In 2021, approximately 40% of Hispanic students dropped out of college.
28. There are 55% of Hispanic students who had finished their degrees in 2021, with 44% of them from the same college and 8 % of them from different colleges.
29. 27% of Hispanic students no longer finish college.

American Indians:

30. EDI reported that in 2021, 36% of American Indians drop out of both two-year and four-year colleges. 
31. 30% to 27% of college graduates are rejected between the year 2000 to 2017.
32. Admissionsly stated that 23% of full-time students graduate within four years.

Black

33. In the year 2021, 46% of the black students finished their degrees, with 35 % of them from the same college and 7% of them from different colleges.
34. It is seen that black students take 6 years to complete the four-year graduation program. Male black students are more likely to drop out than female students.
35. 35% of black students did not finish college.

More than one race

36. ThinkImpact stated that 61% of the students finished their degrees, with 9% from different colleges and 49% from the same college.
37. 24% of them had left the college in 2021.

Gender

It is seen that men are more likely to drop out of college than women. Female students tend to perform better than male students in college as statistics claim that 6 female students enrolled for every four male students.

38. Statistics show that more female high school graduates enrolled in college as compared to males with a dropout rate of 20% higher for men than women.
39. NCES reported that in 2013 66% of females graduated within 6 years while 60% of male students graduated that year.
40. On average, after six years it is seen that 24% of women drop out as compared to about 28% of men.

Age

41. 5% of students aged 19 and under usually drop out.
42. Pupils between the ages of 20 and 23 drop out at a rate of 51%.
43. Dropout rates account for 52% of college undergraduate students between the ages of 24 and 29.
44. Most college dropouts are between the ages of 35 and 64 years old.

For students enrolled in four-year colleges

45. 15% of students who are 19 years old or younger drop out.
46. Dropouts account for slightly more than half (51%) of students aged 20 to 23.
47. Students between the ages of 24 and 29 drop out at a rate of 52%.

Age-wise student dropout rate (2020):

Age	Drop out Rate
16 years old	5.6%
17 years old	5.8%
18 years old	5.4%
19 years old	5.2%
20 to 24 years old	5.1%

State-wise College Dropout Rates in the US

Many popular cities like Texas, California, and New York have the highest rate of college dropout students. 

The rates of college dropout vary by region. The density of the population, the regional economy, and state education statistics all have an effect on college graduation rates.

Here are the top 10 states with the highest percentage of college dropouts in the US

State	Dropouts in percentage
Oregon	18.5%
Wyoming	16.3%
California	16.2%
Alaska	16.0%
Nebraska	16.0%
Washington	15.0%
Illinois	14.9%
New Mexico	13.9%
Kentucky	13.3%
Kansas	13.1%

48. The states with the lowest dropout rates are Delaware and Hawaii, with 6.6% and 6.8%, respectively.
49. The rates of college dropout vary by region. The density of the population, the regional economy, and state education statistics all have an effect on college graduation rates.
50. Oregon seems to have the highest percentage of college dropouts in the country, at 18.2% of the overall population.
51. Dropouts outnumber enrolled undergraduates 5-to-1 in Alaska, which has the maximum dropout-to-undergraduate ratio.
52. Connecticut has the highest proportion of dropouts aged 65 and up, accounting for 24.9% of all states.
53. The majority of college dropouts in Delaware (53.7%) are under the age of 35.
54. California, Texas, New York, Illinois, and Florida account for 39.4% of dropouts.

College Dropout Rates of Students with Disabilities

There is a system of special education for students who have one or more than one disability. There are many students who drop out due to fewer accommodations available in colleges. 

Disability Student’s dropout rate shows that 

55. According to the Education Data Initiative, students with disabilities are 58.7% more likely to drop out of college than students without disabilities
56. 49% of the students with ADHD who have not been given proper medicines are more likely to drop out of college.
57. 47% of the students who have schizophrenia leave the university in between.
58. Students who are suffering from depression do not finish their degrees.

The Reason Behind Student Dropout

In the survey held in the year 2021, it is seen that 3,236 students between 18-34 age dropped out of college because of a lack of money and personal family issues.

Younger students are more likely to drop out because of low interest in the career stream and disinterest in college.

59. The typical undergraduate leaves college with approximately $14,000 in student loan debt.
60. Due to financial constraints, 38% of students drop out of college.
61. 13% of students struggle to fit into college social life correctly.
62. A lack of sufficient family support gives rise to 9% of college dropouts.
63. Academic disqualification – failure to meet the set educational standards – causes 28% of students to drop out of college.
64. 3% of college students drop out because of their mental, psychological, or emotional problems.
65. Distance is often a factor in why students who live far from their college campus eventually drop out. This accounts for 4% of college dropouts.
66. Health issues are cited as the primary reason for dropping out by 5% of students.
67. 89% of first-generation students from low-income households drop out of college.

According to the survey of 2020:

68. 32% of the students left the college because of personal and family issues.
69. 4% of the students drop out because of academic failure and poor performance.
70. 3% of the students left college during the pandemic situations.
71. Here is detailed data on reasons behind the drop out of college.

Reasons	Percentage of students who dropped out
Personal and family issues	32%
Money	24%
Job and career path	11%
Disinterested in school	10%
Time and commitment issues	5%
Unsure about future plans	5%
Stress issues	4%
Poor performance and academic failure	4%
Unable to finish the course	4%
pandemic	3%
Other reasons	5%

Economic Impact

Statistics show that students who have higher student loans tend to drop out of college, thinking that it can reduce their expenses.

72. According to Admissionsly, more than two million students have failed to cover their loans in the past six years. Dropout rates impact both the economy as well as students as a lack of financial recovery limit.
73. 55% of the students struggle to get financial support for their education which results in 79% of them delaying their education.
74. 51.04% of the students drop out because they fail to pay college fees.
75. After graduation, 53% of the students with low income delay or do not enroll in college while only 11% of the higher-income students refuse to enroll in college.
76. According to the EDI report, 12.7% of the students are living in poverty with high school diplomas only.
77. Students who are living in poverty are around 4.8% with a bachelor’s degree.
78. As of 2021, students of age 25 with no degree had a median weekly earning of $899. The unemployment rate for students with no college degree is 5.5%.
79. A college dropout’s annual income is 35% lower than that of a college graduate.

Moreover, students with low-income struggle with keeping up with the college costs that are needed to secure their education.

80. As per the data, only 42% of low-income students are more likely to pursue an associate degree. Moreover, 32% took a bachelor’s degree.
81. 51% of low-income students enroll in two-year or shorter programs.
82.  Among the students with low income, 28% of students attended public colleges.
83. Similarly, 18% of students with low income attended community college, and 2% went with for-profit colleges.
84. 54% of the students with higher incomes tend to attend public colleges.
85. 26% of the higher-income students attended private colleges, and 18% went to community colleges. 
86. 2% of the students with higher incomes attended for-profit colleges.

Following is the comparison between low-income vs high-income working learners. 

Share of work hours	Low-Income	High-Income
1-15 hours	26%	32%
15-35 hours	48%	46%
35+ hours	26%	22%

More statistics we have covered:

College Graduate Statistics
High School Statistics
eLearning Statistics For 2024

Final verdict:

When students decide to drop out of college, a variety of factors play a role. Whether it’s rising tuition or demanding academics, similar reasons have continued to lead to college dropouts over the years, irrespective of a college’s audience, condition, or location.

But remember: Achieving a successful future requires continuing to pursue a college education. As a result, it is essential to comprehend how these challenges affect aspiring degree holders to prepare ahead and complete one’s degree on time.

I hope this article helped you with an appropriate rate of college dropouts. If we have missed something that is important and related to the college dropout rate in the US, then share it with us in the comment section below.