Many College Students Do Not Earn a Degree

Most high school graduates enroll in college. Many take on student loans to pay for their education. But how successful are they in earning the credentials that will help them boost their earnings for a lifetime? A longitudinal study by the National Center for Education Statistics reveals the not-so-pretty picture.

Through its 2012/17 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, the NCES tracked first-time students who entered postsecondary institutions in 2011–12 to determine how many had earned an educational credential six years later in 2017. Here are the findings...

Highest educational credential attained by Spring 2017

  8.5% had earned a certificate

10.9% had earned an associate's degree

36.8% had earned a bachelor's degree

43.8% had no educational credential 

  

Among the 44 percent who had yet to earn an educational credential, 28 percent were still in school and 72 percent were no longer enrolled in any institution.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Persistence, Retention, and Attainment of 2011–12 First-time Beginning Postsecondary Students as of Spring 2017