California’s college dropout rates are much higher than the national average, according to a recent report by Los Angeles, California news outlet KTLA.
Recently-released data claimed that California residents enrolled in colleges are “46.5% more likely” to drop out of college, compared to the national average of 32.9%. The older the student, the more likely the student will drop out, as demonstrated by the 51.6% dropout rate among students between the ages of 35 and 64 years old.
The article also mentioned that college dropouts who take out student loans are “four times more likely to default on these loans than students who graduate,” with over half of students taking on student loans failing to earn a college degree.
Among college dropouts, the top reasons for dropping out of college are financial pressure forcing them to leave college (42%), followed by family reasons (32%), college being a bad fit (30%), and lack of time (24%).
One of the largest omissions from the article was the fact that college tuition rates continue to climb without abandon. Instead, the news outlet focused on the lack of help or guidance from college employees, the student’s unpreparedness for college courses, and the lack of available financial aid. The news outlet also failed to explain that California’s in-state tuition rates are significantly higher than neighboring states.
For example, the University of California-Berkeley costs a student at least $14,000 a year in tuition alone. Another example of a smaller state-run college, California State University-Fresno, costs California resident students over $6,600 a year in tuition.
Other states have slightly-lower in-state tuition rates, such as Arizona State University (around $11,300 a year), University of Utah (under $9,000 a year), University of Texas (about $11,700 a year), and the University of Florida (around $6,400 a year).
A college education has become increasingly unaffordable because of federal subsidies which prop up colleges and do not incentivize reducing costs for students. As a result, students feel pressured to take out student loans, which many struggle to pay after graduation or dropping out.
