Why students drop out of college
This New York Times blog post discusses a report from Public Agenda about a report underwritten by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation titled “With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them.” Some 600 young adults, ages 22 to 30, who had left college before getting a degree were surveyed.
I object to the opening comment that Tamar Lewin makes: “only one in five of the students who enroll in two-year institutions graduates within three years. And even at four-year colleges, only two in five complete their degree within six years.” As I have written in the past, the three and six year timeframes are wrong-headed, and I think the findings in this survey highlight that fact. I am certainly interested and hopeful that students will finish their degrees. But to say that the 150% point (3 years for a 2-year degree, 6 years for a 4-year degree) is when they should finish is silly, especially when you consider that 85 percent (per this blog’s name) of college students are either older, studying part-time, and/or working while going to school. We need to consider a longer timeframe that allows for the reality of how these students proceed through to degree completion.
But let’s look at the study—and at the article. What do they tell us?
• 60 percent of those who dropped out were financially independent—got no financial assistance from their parents.
• The story flips when the parents help out—60 percent of the students who got some financial support from their parents finished their degree.
• Of those who dropped out, 70 percent did not have scholarship or loan aid while of those who finished, only 40 percent did not receive such aid.
• The top reason for dropping out is that it was too hard to support themselves and go to school at that same time.
• More than 1 in 3 said that even if they got funds to cover tuition and books, they still could not afford to return to school due to family and work obligations.
• Of those who finished, 72 percent came from households with annual income over $35,000, while of those who dropped out, more than 50% came from households with less than $35,000 per year
There are at least two things going on here. One is the 85 percent issue. We still make public policy assuming that college students go directly from high school to study full-time on a campus, and are supported by their parents. This despite the fact that 85 percent are older, and/or studying part-time, and/or financially independent, and/or working. The second thing is that lower-income students face significant challenges. A good number of lower income students are part of the other 85 percent.
No wonder the survey respondents did not see adding online courses or making the application process easier as solutions. They are dealing with major challenges in finding the time, money, and energy to pursue a college degree. Their ideas for child care, cost reduction, and allowing more financial aid for part-time students make complete sense for what they face.
What results will this study have? Will anyone listen to the facts about the challenges facing the vast majority of contemporary college students? When will we stop being driven only by the assumption that the high school student and his/her parents are the singular audience for higher education public policy decision-making?
Your thoughts? Please feel free to leave a comment.
Mike
Share This4 Responses to “Why students drop out of college”
Lashundra Says:
I started my online experience for the first time my second semester of community college and loved it. I have always had the disciplined and determination to go the extra mile and I was raised in a household with a grandfather who pushed for his children and grandchildren to go the extra mile, and he only had an 8th grade education. I am honored to go the extra mile and work hard. People do not want to work hard nowadays, they just want you to hand them things and not say anything. You also have people in the job force who have had it so easy and their minds are short of a pets. I think people are afraid of learning. When we are not afraid of learning it makes life a little bit more easier and I think it gives longevity to living. So, I do agree with you Capella is a great school system I love it and I continue to learn new things as I get older and throughout my college experience. Education is valuable asset and it shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Mort Dunder Says:
Dr. Offerman
Your information is compelling and from my perspective, I would say it is quite accurate. I am one of the 85% and currently enrolled in an online doctoral program. Many years ago, I graduated from high school and then went to college for two years and pursued a professional program. For no good reason other than self actualization I went back and got my Bachelors degree.
It was a good thing because when I was finishing up my degree, I got laid off from the profession I had trained for years ago. I shifted gears and now have two masters degrees and, if the stars line up in my favor, I will have a doctorate someday. All of this education has been accomplished as the proverbial “non traditional” student. Thus, I want to say thanks to you for offering this site and providing insightful information
Thanks
Mort
Lark Says:
Mort,
It is so true that the ‘college kid’ is now older, wiser, more time-constrained, and has more obligations than in the 1950s. Back then you could assume that the majority of college kids were fresh out of high school and still getting support from their parents. I was not one of them.
Born in 1956, to parents that divorced in 1964. Too many kids (3), too much struggling to make ends meet, and single parenthood, made it impossible for me and my siblings to go to college. When I was 19, I checked into financial aid (1975) and there was virtually none to be had, so I married and took a clerical job. I have been divorced, married again, had and raised a child, and buried a husband. At the peak of our life together, both working 40+ hours, we earned $55K in one year ($40K or under the rest of the 20 years).
In 1993, I went to college for the first time due to the last recession. Happily married, raising a son, I earned an associate’s then a bachelor’s in 5 years, working part time, living on scholarships/grants and $18K/yr trust fund (income of my invalid husband). I started a master’s degree in ‘98 and a second master’s in 2000! Now borrowing to earn the two degrees and I came up against the 150% time constraint! The administration couldn’t acknowledge that I was working on two degrees, nor any of my other circumstances. Then my husband of 20 years died.
I am only now starting back after 6 years to earn a master’s so I can be hired as a permanent professor instead of an adjunct. And I am almost starting at square one. Capella made it possible, transferred in 12/28 credits, but I have 36 more to earn, compared to the 8 credits I was short for my degree here. The first course seems to be more tailored to the instructors than the learners, more to learning ‘lock-step’ than learner outcome. I know I’ll get through and succeed as I always have, but it would be nice if the ‘powers that be’ had a little more sympathy and empathy for the ‘new college kids’ on the block. Thanks for letting me comment.
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Welcome to The Other 85 Percent. So what does "the other 85 percent" refer to? Research has shown that only about 15 percent of higher education students still fit the traditional definition of young adults age 18 to 22 who live on campus and go to school full time. more
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Ted Brown Says:
I am not your student that gets out of high school and goes straight into college. I never made it out of High School because my dad was disabled in Vietnam and I had to work to help out, no not because I had to, I wanted to.
You are right, it seems like all we see is how middle America is doing, what happen to the poor blacks, poor whites and all the other poor or disadvantage people?
I do know for a fact that some students take 3 or even 4 years to get a 2 years degree for one basic reason and it is money, free pell grants from the Federal Government. I am not saying it is right or wrong. I have seen one lady at my local community college take a General Psychology class over 3 times so she would have more money for her kids.
Then we have our Middle America people coming in complaining that the poor people or the minorities are the cause of a tuition to raise. What really happens is the schools are there to make money and even if they say they are not they are liars. When the government decides to give students money to return to school and gives a raise ever so often the schools will raise tuition in the name of “getting better Professors” which is nothing short of a lie, thus everything goes up.
I return to school with a GED and went on to receive an Associate degree in Psychology, BA degree in Human Services and as of today I am three classes of completing my Master’s degree in Human Resource Management. I have meet a lot of people in my journey to a better and brighter future with a degree, but many people give online a hard time. Why you may ask, first you have to be dedicated to working on your own, second you have to want it bad enough to work hard to earn you degree and last you do not need a fellow student or a professor always holding you hand through a program.
Today, I think Capella University has more than 29000 students and if online education was not a good idea, then the Capella Education Company would have never made it to that many students. I am a HR Director and when a man or woman comes into our department and presents to me a transcript of a GED certificate or a online degree, I place that person at the front of the list. With a GED or online education that person shows me that they are willing to work hard for what they want and they did not need someone holding their hand all the time.
Yes, please count the online degrees, the nontraditional students, not just how much money daddy and mommy can give to the school to get junior and little miss pain out of their house.
April 9th, 2010 at 11:24 am