Citing finances as the chief reason, more college aged individuals are opting out of attending college than in the past.
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center finds there almost 250,000 fewer students enrolled in institutions of higher learning than there were last year, reflective of a trend that’s been going on for more than eight years. Attendance peaked in 2011. The decrease in students is affecting for-profit universities and community colleges equally.
And among those who are still choosing to go to college, many aren’t staying long.
57% of students are still in school six years after they started, while 28% of freshman don’t even make it to their sophomore year.
Florida is the state that as seen the biggest drop off in the number of students attending college.
The average cost of a four-year college education today is around $80,000.