More students tend to drop out of two-year institutions than four-year colleges, no matter what their age, gender, or ethnicity is. Those in the highest income brackets have the lowest dropout rates. For college dropouts, it helps if they’ve had some prior vocational training and/or obtain a professional certificate or license; otherwise, they tend to have higher unemployment rates than their more educated peers. In the United States, the overall dropout rate for undergraduate college students is 40%. 30% of the dropout rate comes from college freshman dropping out before their sophomore year. The United States ranks 19th in graduation rates among 28 countries in OECD studies. In 2018, 66.9% of all male high school graduates between 16-24 years old were enrolled in colleges or universities. In 2018, 71.3% of all female high school graduates between 16-24 years old were enrolled in colleges or universities. 40% of college dropouts have parents who didn’t finish college. 34 million Americans over 25 years of age have some college credit. In 2019, fewer than half of Americans between the age of 25 and 35 obtained any credentials beyond a high school diploma. Students with the highest student loans are less likely to drop out than those without loans or with smaller loans. Students aged 19 or under are the age group least likely to drop out of college. The cost of dropping out of college measured by lost earnings is $3.8 billion in a single year. College dropouts by age at enrollment on Education Data Initiative College Dropout Rate: Institutional Demographics Two-year colleges have the lowest completion rates of any category of educational institution. While a fair number of students enrolling in these schools go on to transfer to another college for graduation, the dropout rates are still sobering. The demographic for most community colleges includes first-generation college students, low-income students, and students who may not have been able to meet admission standards for 4-year schools. Only 5% of students in 2-year colleges graduate on time with a 2-year degree. 15.9% of students pursuing a certificate program graduate on time. Less than 25% of high school graduates who enroll in 2-year colleges complete a degree in three years. 37.5% of recent high school graduates who enroll in a 2-year college complete a degree within six years. Only 14.7% of recent high school graduates complete a BA degree within six years.