A recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center reveals a concerning trend in higher education: between January 2021 and July 2022, approximately 2.3 million students stopped out of college, a 2.9 percent increase from the year prior. This adds to the 1.4 million increase in stop-outs from 2020–21, bringing the total number of U.S. adults with some college education but no degree to a staggering 36.8 million.
Several demographic groups are particularly affected by student stop-outs. Around 30% of these students fall within the 25–64 age range, while younger students (20–24) make up just 6%. Ethnicity and gender also play a role — 32% of stop-outs are white, 18% Hispanic, and 14% Black. There’s almost an equal split between men (46%) and women (44%). The pandemic further increased stop-outs, especially at two-year colleges, though re-enrollment is rising, with 78,000 students returning in 2022–23.
Various factors contribute to students stopping out, including economic challenges, health concerns, and mental health struggles during the pandemic. These barriers are compounded by high education costs, inequities, and rigid academic programs. Re-enrollment efforts haven’t fully compensated for the large number of stop-outs, with 63% returning to different institutions. Financial or administrative issues, rather than academic performance, often prevent students from completing their degrees.
Successful Initiatives and Solutions
Despite the challenges, several states and institutions are successfully implementing programs aimed at increasing re-enrollment rates. Massachusetts’ MassReconnect program focuses on reducing the cost of education, while New Jersey’s ReUp program emphasizes outreach and marketing to bring students back to the classroom. California Reconnect has seen notable success, boosting the state’s re-enrollment rates to 8.4 percent — well above the national average.
In Ohio, eight institutions launched the Ohio Comeback Compact in 2022, an experimental consortium designed to address barriers to re-enrollment. By facilitating credit transfers and offering debt relief to eligible students, the program has made re-enrollment easier. After two years, students participating in the Compact were 50 percent more likely to re-enroll than their peers.
Recommendations for Colleges
- Flexibility in Learning Models: Many students who stop out cite challenges with traditional learning formats. Offering more hybrid, online, or part-time programs would allow students to fit their education around work or caregiving responsibilities.
- Financial Support and Debt Relief: Programs like debt forgiveness can motivate students to return. The Ohio Comeback Compact’s success shows that clearing financial barriers is a powerful incentive for re-enrollment.
- Streamlining Administrative Processes: Colleges should simplify the re-entry process by removing unnecessary administrative hurdles, such as application fees or excessive documentation, which may deter students from coming back.
- Improving Mental Health Support: Many students paused their education due to mental health challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. Institutions need to prioritize mental health services, making them easily accessible to current and former students.
- Addressing Systemic Inequities: Black and Hispanic men are less likely to return to college compared to white and Asian American women. Targeted outreach and support for these demographic groups is essential to ensure equitable re-enrollment and degree completion.
- Partnerships for Re-Enrollment: Higher education institutions need to collaborate rather than compete when it comes to re-enrollment. Shared data and partnerships between two- and four-year colleges could make it easier for students to transfer credits and re-enter a different institution.
The growing number of students leaving college without finishing is a big challenge, but it also opens the door for positive change. By offering more flexible and supportive ways to complete degrees, colleges can help students return, finish their education, and strengthen the workforce in the process. And Capture can help 😉 .
By Cat Hollands, Capture Client Trainer, Capture Higher Ed
