Alternatives to College for All

In the April 26 Washington Post, Princeton’s president did his best to support the U.S. education department’s “college for all” doctrine, citing the increased earning power that goes along with getting a four-year degree. But he left out the most convincing counter-argument — the college dropout rates are just awful.

According to BestColleges.com:

1)  Between 2019 and 2020, about 24% of first-time, full-time undergraduate first-year students dropped out of college.

2)  In 2021, 31.6% of students who enrolled in 2015 were no longer enrolled six years later and had not received their degree.

3)  American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Pacific Islander first-year students have higher dropout rates than their Hispanic, white, and Asian peers.

With only a two in three chance of getting a degree, should we be surprised that a good many young people are opting for apprenticeships and vocational training instead of college?  Why pile up debt when plenty of good jobs are available to non-college grads with the right vocational training?