Why One in Three College Students Will Dropout

College is often sold as the ultimate ticket to success. But here’s a hard truth: 36% of college students drop out before earning their degree, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). That’s over one in three students! What’s worse? Most of them still have to repay their student loans even though they didn’t graduate. Let’s talk about why this is happening—and how the system is failing students.

The Real Problem: Schools Aren’t Teaching Career Skills

Think about why most people go to college. Is it to study ancient history or philosophy for fun? For some, sure. But for the majority, it’s about getting a good job and building a secure future. Yet, many colleges don’t focus on equipping students with the career-ready skills employers demand. Instead, they emphasize theoretical learning or require general education classes that feel disconnected from real-world applications.

The result? Students rack up debt studying topics that don’t lead to clear job opportunities. They graduate—or don’t—feeling unprepared for the workforce.

Dropping Out Doesn’t Erase Debt

Here’s the kicker: dropping out doesn’t make your student loans disappear. Let’s say a student takes out $15,000 in loans, spends two years in college, and then realizes it’s not for them. They still owe that money, even though they didn’t get the degree that might have helped them secure a higher-paying job to pay it back.

Worse yet, students who drop out often have lower earning potential than their peers who graduate. That means repaying loans is even tougher. It’s a vicious cycle: debt without a degree makes it harder to earn enough to pay off the loans in the first place.

Lastly, colleges don't get penalized for a high dropout rate. There are some consequences of students defaulting on loans, but most of the time, loans are income-adjusted rather than defaulted on.

Why Are So Many Students Dropping Out?

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