America's 'cataclysmic' drop in college enrollment

"The slide in the college-going rate since 2018 is the steepest on record"

Repeating silhouettes of college graduates
(Image credit: illustration/Getty Images)

A growing number of American high schoolers are taking a look at college — and taking a pass.

College enrollment for recent high school graduates rose for decades, peaking at 70.1 percent in 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, before fluctuating for a decade — and plummeting 8 percent from 2019 to 2022, The Associated Press reports. "The slide in the college-going rate since 2018 is the steepest on record," especially for men.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.