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Running head: COLLEGE DROPOUT RATE

The College Dropout Rate in the United States: A Review of Literature

Marissa Vasquez
University of Texas at El Paso

COLLEGE DROPOUT RATE

Abstract
The college dropout rate in the United States has continued to increase throughout the
years. Students face different obstacles in their lives that get in the way of them attending
college. Incoming students in college expect to get help from the university they are attending,
but they do not always get the help they need and feel left out. Feeling left out of anything in
college makes students want to leave. The cost of college tuition is a major factor that makes
staying in school difficult for many students. As tuition goes up, it becomes more difficult for
students to stay in school. Attending college while working is not always an easy option for
students, so these students are sometimes forced to quit school. Although everyone is told going
to college is important, dropping out is not always a bad thing. Many people are more successful
after dropping out of college than when they were in college.

COLLEGE DROPOUT RATE

The College Dropout Rate in the United States: A Review of Literature

Every year in the United States, there is an increase in college dropouts. This is causing
the U.S. to fall behind in the educational race because some students are not well prepared in
high school and are not financially able to pay their tuition (Clark, 2010). Students from lowincome families are less likely to stay in college and graduate. The increase in cost of tuition
makes it more difficult for them to pay for their education. According to Clark, many other
factors, such as race, gender, and parental education, play a big role in whether a student will
stay in school or not (2010). The financial status of a student can be the difference between
having a college career or not.
The dropout rate has continued to increase throughout the years. It is something that a lot
of students come across and arent able to overcome. For other students, it is a decision they
choose to make and are happy with. Understanding the high college rate in the United States can
be difficult. To better understand this issue, the following questions should be considered:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Why do most college students drop out?

How does this affect those out of college?
Is high tuition costs the main reason students drop out?
Is dropping out of college always a bad thing?

The following review on literature will: provide information on the dropout rate in the United
States and what effects there are after.

COLLEGE DROPOUT RATE

Why Do Most College Students Drop Out?
There are countless reasons why some students may decide to leave school and not
graduate. According to Raley (2007), students like Diana are not comfortable attending college
because they do not get support from professors. Most students often expect more from college
after graduating from high school and are disappointed when they find out that its not what they
thought it was. Raley says, But lacking contact and support from her teachers, Diana felt lonely,
dejected and lost in the crowd (2007). Students are told that professors are there to help students
get the resources and support they need in order to be successful, but yet many fail to do so.
These students are stuck feeling left out and cheated of their expectations, thus making them
want to drop out completely, many not going back.
According to Ramist (1981), another reason some students drop out of college is because
they are do not want to take courses that are required. They get bored with them and decide to
change their majors, leading to an extended amount of time attending college. An amount of
students are able to do this, but others cannot keep up with the changes. Ramist states These
reasons are given most often by men, by those in technical institutes, by those with a poor high
school record, by those who drop out late in the freshman year, and by those who later transfer to
another college or return (1981). Most people tend to think that this an excuse for being lazy,
but it is simply because these students are not happy with taking courses they believe are
unnecessary.
Another reason students drop out is simply because they are not enjoying their experience
there. Students like Danielle Henderson started college off the wrong way. She was surprised at
the amount of classes she needed to take for her major and did not like her professors
(Henderson, 2012). Many students have the same situation when they go to college and are not

COLLEGE DROPOUT RATE

happy. The whole idea of going to college that people see in movies or on television is just a
stereotype. Not every student has that experience. The reality of the college experience is not
what was expected to freshman. Henderson says, I had no idea what I was doing there, and the
entire situation was making me miserable (2012). Henderson, along with many other students,
felt better off leaving school.
How Does This Effect Those Out of College?
Students who have dropped out of college have a lower chance of finding a good paying
job compared to those who have graduated and received a degree. This makes it difficult for
some of them to support themselves and their families later on in life. Depending on whether that
person gets a good job or not can really determine how their life can be later on. Another
problem that can hurt a dropout is that theyve lost so much money for the time that they were
there. Thats thousands of dollars that have been wasted that could have been used for something
they may need, hurting them financially. Dropping out of college not only can hurt the dropout,
but it also hurts the economy. According to Liz Dwyer, college dropouts cost themselves and the
economy about $4.5 billion in lost earnings and federal and state income tax a year (2011).
About 500,000 college dropouts who started college in 2002 and didnt graduate within six years
lost about $3.8 billion together (Dwyer, 2011). Income and tax revenue is not the only thing that
hurts the economy. Students who drop out who have used a loan to pay their tuition and are not
able to pay it back after end up being in debt and that hurts the economy (Dwyer, 2011).

Is High Tuition Costs the Main Reason Students Drop Out?

COLLEGE DROPOUT RATE

Going to college is expensive. Theres the cost of tuition, textbooks, and other materials
that a student may need for their classes. The cost of tuition continues to go up and it gets harder
and harder for students to pay the cost. There are many options students can consider to help pay
their tuition costs, but not everyone qualifies. Scholarships are available to everyone, but it can
be difficult for some students to meet the standards given. Scholarships can get picky about what
they want in a student in order to award them. Even when someone receives a scholarship, there
are certain requirements the student must follow to keep it. Financial aid is another option
available, but some students do not qualify for enough money to cover their entire tuition or
anything at all. Financial aid looks into the students financial situation to determine how much
money to reward that student. If they think a students family makes too much money, chances
are they will not receive the money they need. There are loans that students can get to help pay
for their tuition costs. The issue with getting a loan is that the student eventually has to pay back
that amount plus an interest rate. If a student who received a loan has graduated and cannot find
a job after, they are not able to get that money and are left in debt. Then there are students who
come from a high-income family that have an advantage over others because they receive
financial assistance from their families. Lower-income students dont always get this help
because their families do not have the money. Paying for college can be more difficult for some
students than others.
Most students in college are working to support themselves while they are in school.
There are students in college who have a family that they need to support as well. Balancing a
work and school schedule is tricky for some students, especially those who are working to pay
for their tuition out of pocket. Jenna Johnson claims that the number one reason many young
adults drop out of college is because they struggle trying to balance school and work (2009). A

COLLEGE DROPOUT RATE

study was made by Jean Johnson of Public agenda, a nonpartisan public policy research firm, on
600 people ages 20 to 30 on why they decided to drop out and how they are paying for college.
Research found that 58 percent of the students who were surveyed did not receive any financial
assistance from their families, 69 percent did not receive any scholarships or financial aid, and
70 percent said they dropped out because they needed to work to support themselves (Johnson,
2009). A lot of students struggle to pay for school while they struggle to maintain themselves as
well. They eventually feel the need to drop out even though it is a difficult decision. One of the
students surveyed, Frankie Barria, said he was on his own when he started college and struggled
to go to school and work at the same time and eventually dropped out (Lewin, 2009). Batria
stated, Having a roof over my head and food to eat was more important (Lewin, 2009).
The cost of going to college is very high and it has caused many students to dropout.
Many of those students dreamed of graduating college and getting a career in their major, but are
not able to afford it.
Is Dropping Out of College Always a Bad Thing?
Almost everyone is told that after you graduate from high school, the next step is to go to
college. For some people, thats not the case. There are people who are able to get a well-paying
job that they are able to live off of without having a college degree. College is a waste of time for
some people and they would rather work somewhere that does not require a degree. The time,
money, and effort is not worth it for some students.
Many college graduates struggle to find a job that is within their major. According to
Brad Plumer (2013), 62 percent of college graduates got a job that requires a degree and only
about 27 percent of college graduates find a job in their major. This is a smaller percentage than

COLLEGE DROPOUT RATE

anyone going to college would ever expect. Students spend so much money to attend college
hoping they will get a job in that career path after they graduate and there is a small chance that it
will happen immediately. The chances of getting a job according to the students degree can also
depend on the city they live in (Plumer, 2013). If a student is living in a big city, they have access
to a wider range on job opportunities compared to someone who is living in a small town.
Plummer says The odds of finding a match between college degree and job are about 6
percentage points higher in a place like New York City than in, say, Syracuse (2013). For some
students, this is not enough. Paying thousands of dollars for a college education is not worth a
slight chance of getting a job to many students. Having a degree can make finding a good job
easier, but it is not the only option there is.

COLLEGE DROPOUT RATE

Figure 1 shows the relationship between the size of a metro area to the probability of getting a job either in the degree or major.

There are countless numbers of high-paying careers that do not require a degree. These
careers usually just require some training, a license, or maybe some experience. These
requirements are usually cheaper than paying for college tuition. There are countless cases of
students getting a job that they could live off of while they are in school. Going to college at the
same time only interferes with the job, so the easier, and sometimes better, option is to just drop
out. There are many successful people that are making a living and they never finished college.
Everyone always assumes that they will be better off going to college and finishing their
education, but when they are actually there, they realized this is not completely true. Students,
like Sean Kim, are excited to go to college, but when theyre actually there, they are not happy

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(2015). This is usually when a student really thinks about whether or not college is good for
them. Dropping out of college can be one of the hardest decisions a student can make (Kim,
2015). But sometimes, its in the students best favor. Professor Richard Gutierrez at the
University of Texas at El Paso says, Many students at UTEP are there because everyone told
them that is what they are supposed to do. They do not get involved in school activities and they
settle for whatever grade they can get. These students are probably better off not being in college
and working to support themselves, and that is okay (R. Gutierrez, personal communication,
March 25, 2016).
Conclusion
Students dropping out of college is something many students in the United States are
doing. Every student has their reason for it whether it is because they cannot afford it or simply
because they did not like going. Dropping out can make it more difficult for a student to find a
job and they might struggle to support themselves financially. But for some students, it can be
the best decision they have ever made. Good things can come out of dropping out of college
depending on the student, and not many people realize this. Dropping out of college being the
worst thing a person can do is a common misconception most people have. Going to college is
not part of everyones plan in life, and thats okay. College has helped many people get a good
job, but it has also hurt others. It is up to the student and that student only to decide whether or
not to drop out of college and to decide their life plan.

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References
Clark, K. (2010). Who will get through college? U.S. News & World Report, 147(1), 54-56
Dwyer, L. (2011). College dropouts cost the economy billions. Good. Retrieved from
https://www.good.is/articles/college-dropouts-cost-the-economy-billions
Henderson, D. (2012, April 25). Skipping school: College isnt for everyone. Retrieved from
http://www.rookiemag.com/2012/04/skipping-school/

Johnson, J. (2009). Majority of college dropouts cite financial struggles as main cause. The
Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/12/09/AR2009120903045.html
Kim, S. (2015). How I went from dropping out of college to freedom in two years. The
Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sean-kim/how-iwent- from-dropping-out-of-college-to-freedom-in-two-years_b_6264140.html

Lewin, T. (2009). College dropouts cite low money and high stress. The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/education/10graduate.html
Raley, Y. (2007). Why we quit. Scientific American Mind, 18(4), 74-79.
Ramist, L. (1981). College student attrition and retention (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved
from College Entrance Examination Board. (No. 81-1)

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Plumer, B. (2013). Only 27 percent of college grads have a job related to their major. The
Washington Post. Retrieved from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/05/20/only-27-percent-of-collegegrads-have-a-job-related-to-their-major/