College Dropout Statistics (2026 stats)

Last updated: June 12, 2026 Sources: College Scorecard, NSC, Census ACS, NCES, BLS

TL;DR

College Scorecard reports a mean six-year completion rate of 52% at four-year institutions in our extract (2,283 campuses). Federal retention surveys and NSC cohort studies use different definitions—see benchmarks below.

Key Facts

  • Mean 6-year completion (4-year, 150% time, Scorecard): 52.0%
  • Mean completion (under 4-year, 150% time): 62.2%
  • Private nonprofit vs public 4-year completion (mean): 56.0% vs 47.0%
  • NCES first-year attrition (FTFT average): 24.4%
  • NSC 6-year non-completion (2017 cohort): 29.2%
  • States in Scorecard state table: 52
  • U.S. residents with SCNC (NSC 2024 table): 34,756,390
  • Adults 25+ with some college, no degree (ACS): 19.4%
  • NCES first-year attrition (2021 cohort): 23.3%
  • National CDSI score (debt ÷ 1-yr pay): 34.4

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Six-Year Completion at Four-Year Campuses (Scorecard)

Institutional completion within 150% of time

Across 2,283 four-year Title IV institutions with reported cohorts, the mean completion rate within 150% of normal time is 52.0% (median 52.2%). Students who transfer and finish elsewhere are still counted as non-completers at the first school.

Completion rate from College Scorecard field completion_rate_4yr_150nt (2024 release).

Completion: Four-Year vs Under-Four-Year Programs

Shorter programs show different completion profiles

Under-four-year institutions (community colleges and certificate-granting schools) report separate 150% completion fields in Scorecard—compare like cohorts only.

Mean completion within 150% of normal time by program length. Source: College Scorecard (2024).

Non-Completion by Institution Control (Four-Year)

Private nonprofits lead on completion in this extract

Private nonprofit four-year schools average 56.0% completion vs 47.0% at public four-year institutions in our file (1 minus Scorecard completion_rate_4yr_150nt by ownership).

Non-completion = 1 − completion_rate_4yr_150nt, averaged by control. College Scorecard (2024).

Lowest-Completion States (Four-Year Campuses)

Geography matters for institutional completion

States with the lowest mean four-year completion in our extract—at least five campuses per state. Not the same as state SCNC population totals.

Mean completion_rate_4yr_150nt by state. College Scorecard (2024).

First-Year Retention (Scorecard)

Retention is higher than six-year completion

Retention rates measure students returning for year two at the same institution—typically higher than long-run completion and not comparable to NSC national persistence.

Mean retention by sector and attendance intensity. College Scorecard (2024).

First-Year Attrition Trend (NCES)

Freshman year stop-outs have improved since 2006

Federal Digest Table 326.30 tracks first-time, full-time freshmen who do not return for year two at the same institution. Attrition fell from 29.0% (2006) to 23.3% (2021)—roughly 5.7 percentage points—while retention rose to 76.7%.

First-year attrition = 100% − retention. Full-time students, all degree-granting institutions. Source: NCES Digest of Education Statistics, Table 326.30.

Some College, No Credential (SCNC) by State

Population of adults who stopped short of a credential

The National Student Clearinghouse tracks residents with some college experience and no credential (34,756,390 summed from our 2024 state table; NSC's Apr. 2023 national headline was 40.4 million). California has the largest count in our table at 5,941,080—a stock measure of stop-outs and transfers, not the same as annual freshman attrition.

Top 10 states by SCNC count. Source: NSC Some College, No Credential (2024).

SCNC counts by state (full table)

Residents with some college experience and no postsecondary credential, by state of residence. Distinct from Scorecard campus completion rates above.

StateSCNC countYoY change
California5,941,0801.90%
Texas2,642,5743.40%
New York1,936,3252.30%
Illinois1,648,5601.00%
Florida1,606,2362.90%
Ohio1,274,0061.40%
Michigan1,093,3932.40%
Pennsylvania1,047,6442.30%
North Carolina996,5241.50%
Washington963,3381.30%
Virginia880,0677.50%
Georgia786,5793.20%
New Jersey757,2821.90%
Arizona726,2644.80%
Indiana716,0691.50%
Massachusetts675,9202.30%
Oregon675,6480.80%
Missouri672,5187.80%
Wisconsin629,0521.00%
Colorado623,1141.50%
Tennessee602,4122.30%
Maryland602,2322.30%
Kentucky564,0001.20%
Minnesota563,0652.00%
Alabama461,6812.30%
Louisiana458,7112.40%
South Carolina453,1061.80%
Oklahoma413,5762.30%
Iowa379,9821.80%
Utah379,4013.80%
Kansas361,3342.10%
Connecticut350,3071.10%
Nevada334,4921.70%
Mississippi325,4511.90%
Arkansas295,2321.50%
New Mexico264,6161.00%
Nebraska254,9080.90%
Idaho183,0485.10%
West Virginia182,9561.70%
Maine127,9253.20%
Rhode Island121,3041.60%
Montana102,7642.10%
Hawaii100,7223.50%
New Hampshire94,1351.80%
Alaska93,7120.20%
Wyoming80,8544.20%
Delaware74,1675.90%
North Dakota70,0402.50%
South Dakota67,8083.00%
Vermont63,5507.30%
District of Columbia36,7063.40%

Some College, No Degree by State (Census ACS)

Share of adults 25+ who stopped short of a credential

Nationally, 19.4% of adults age 25+ (about 44,354,396 people) have some college but no degree according to 2019–2023 ACS 5-Year Table B15003. Idaho has the highest share at 24.8%; District of Columbia the lowest at 11.8%. This is a population share—not the same as NSC SCNC resident counts in the section above.

Top 10 states by share of adults 25+ with some college and no degree. Source: Census ACS 5-Year Table B15003 (2023).

ACS some college, no degree by state (full table)

Adults age 25+ with some college credit but no postsecondary degree, as a count and share of the 25+ population. Sorted by count. Compare to NSC SCNC counts for a different stock measure.

StateSCND count (25+)Share of 25+ pop.
California5,327,12819.8%
Texas3,966,49420.6%
Florida2,997,20118.9%
New York2,081,78314.9%
Illinois1,705,10419.5%
Ohio1,576,28619.4%
Michigan1,547,34122.2%
North Carolina1,452,35420.0%
Georgia1,415,71119.5%
Pennsylvania1,404,57015.3%
Arizona1,187,82323.8%
Washington1,171,69821.7%
Virginia1,084,08218.2%
New Jersey989,66315.3%
Tennessee961,93820.0%
Indiana890,85919.5%
Missouri887,05821.0%
Wisconsin803,85219.8%
Colorado792,19719.6%
Minnesota770,33419.8%
Maryland754,70017.7%
Alabama726,30821.1%
Oregon723,61823.9%
South Carolina720,26419.9%
Massachusetts712,34314.4%
Louisiana643,80620.7%
Kentucky614,17519.9%
Oklahoma588,66722.3%
Nevada523,53723.8%
Utah481,83924.1%
Arkansas431,02321.1%
Mississippi429,52321.8%
Kansas427,54622.1%
Iowa426,72619.9%
Connecticut410,59116.2%
New Mexico327,69522.6%
Idaho308,70724.8%
Nebraska282,12621.9%
West Virginia223,75017.6%
Hawaii203,37919.8%
Maine185,43918.2%
New Hampshire174,28517.3%
Montana172,90622.4%
Rhode Island136,46017.6%
Delaware133,06418.7%
South Dakota120,49220.2%
Alaska117,84724.1%
North Dakota111,08621.8%
Wyoming97,08824.6%
Vermont74,58016.1%
District of Columbia57,35011.8%

Debt Stress for Stop-Outs (CDSI)

Borrowing without a degree amplifies financial risk

EDsmart Data's College Student Debt Stress Index (national score 34.4) compares typical graduate debt to typical earnings 10 years after entry. 19% of indexed campuses exceed a 50% debt-to-one-year-pay ratio. Gallup finds 82% of borrowers worry about repayment—higher among those who leave without a credential.

CDSI = median debt among completers ÷ median earnings 10 years after entry (Scorecard). High ratios flag schools where typical debt consumes a large share of one year of pay—relevant for students who borrow but leave without the earnings bump of a credential.

EDsmart Data CDSI report · Average student loan debt

Median debt ÷ one year of earnings (completers only), by control. Scorecard-based CDSI build (4,514 institutions).

CDSI by institution type

ControlCampusesMedian stress ratioShare >50% ratio
For-profit1,58532.6%19.5%
Private nonprofit1,34744.2%33.5%
Public1,58228.8%6.3%

Highest debt-stress states (CDSI)

States where indexed campuses show the highest median debt relative to earnings—useful context alongside low completion rates.

StateCampusesMedian indexHigh-stress share
AL5948.647.5%
NC11047.646.4%
VA11844.733.9%
GA13442.833.6%
ME3042.343.3%
SD1842.222.2%
LA8441.717.9%
SC7941.235.4%
VT1041.030.0%
NH2440.316.7%

What counts as a college dropout?

There is no single federal “dropout rate” for all of higher education. Researchers use different cohort rules:

  • Institution completion (Scorecard / IPEDS): Share of first-time students who earn a credential within 100% or 150% of normal program length at the same school. Students who transfer elsewhere may count as non-completers at the first campus.
  • Persistence (NSC): Whether students remain enrolled anywhere after the first year—often higher than first-school completion.
  • Some college, no credential (SCNC): Adults in the population who attended postsecondary education but never finished a degree or certificate—tracked by the Clearinghouse and Census surveys.
  • Status dropout (NCES K–12 indicator): Ages 16–24 not enrolled and without a high school credential—a different population from college stop-outs.

Charts on this page use College Scorecard completion fields; the benchmark table cites NSC, NCES, and BLS for widely cited national figures.

National benchmarks (external sources)

These figures come from federal and Clearinghouse publications. They are not recomputed from our Scorecard file—use them to contextualize institutional completion in the charts above. NSC SCNC totals can differ by vintage: our 2024 state table sums to about 34.8 million residents; NSC's widely cited Apr. 2023 national headline was 40.4 million.

MetricValueSource
First-year dropout (first-time, full-time)24.4 percentNCES Digest Table 326.30 (2006–2021 average)
Six-year non-completion (2017 entry cohort)29.2 percentNational Student Clearinghouse Completing College (Nov. 2023)
Adults with some college, no credential (NSC headline)40.4 millionNSC Some College, No Credential (Apr. 2023 national release)
First-year persistence (fall 2023 entrants)77.6 percentNSC Persistence & Retention (2024)
Median weekly earnings (some college, no degree)935 dollarsBLS Employment Projections (2021)
Median weekly earnings (bachelor’s or higher)1432 dollarsBLS Employment Projections (2021)

Why students leave college (survey)

Money and life circumstances dominate

In a UPCEA / StraighterLine survey of adults ages 20–34 who left college, 32% cited personal or family issues and 24% cited money as the main reason—consistent with Sallie Mae and Education Data Initiative summaries of stop-out drivers.

Survey shares from UPCEA / StraighterLine (2021), as summarized by BestColleges and peer outlets—not EDsmart Data primary research.

Top reasons cited for leaving (survey)

ReasonShare of leavers
Personal or family issues32%
Financial / money24%
Work or career path11%
Dissatisfied with school10%
Time commitment5%
Stress / difficulty learning4%
Academic failure4%

Economic impact of leaving without a degree

In our College Scorecard extract, mean completion within 150% of normal time is 52% at four-year campuses and 62% at under-four-year campuses—use the same time horizon when comparing to NSC or IPEDS cohort reports.

BLS data show workers age 25+ with some college but no degree earned a median of about $935 per week in 2021, versus $1,432 for bachelor's holders—plus higher unemployment. Borrowers who leave without finishing are more likely to default on student loans than graduates (NCES non-completer debt study).

Where students borrow heavily relative to eventual pay, stop-outs face a double penalty: loan payments without the credential-linked earnings bump. See the CDSI section for institution-level debt stress scores.

Broader estimates (Third Way via Lumina Foundation) model large fiscal and earnings gains if completion rose toward high-school graduation levels—useful for policy context, not for ranking individual colleges.

Scorecard completion by state

State-level values for college dropout rates
State Completion Rate Dropout Rate School Count
Massachusetts 66.7% 33.3% 73
Rhode Island 66.5% 33.5% 11
Connecticut 64.9% 35.1% 27
Iowa 63.1% 36.9% 33
Vermont 62.4% 37.6% 9
California 58.5% 41.5% 185
Pennsylvania 57.9% 42.1% 124
Maine 57.6% 42.4% 19
Virginia 57.6% 42.4% 56
Minnesota 57.5% 42.5% 43
New Hampshire 57.4% 42.6% 13
New York 56.3% 43.7% 190
Maryland 55.8% 44.2% 31
Wisconsin 55.6% 44.4% 41
Michigan 55.5% 44.5% 51
Illinois 55.2% 44.8% 61
Oregon 55.1% 44.9% 27
Florida 53.6% 46.4% 109
Indiana 53.4% 46.6% 51
District of Columbia 52.8% 47.2% 11
Idaho 52.4% 47.5% 10
Missouri 52.4% 47.6% 62
Nebraska 52.2% 47.8% 21
New Jersey 51.4% 48.6% 58
North Carolina 51.2% 48.8% 62
Utah 50.5% 49.5% 18
Kentucky 50.4% 49.6% 34
Tennessee 49.8% 50.2% 47
Mississippi 48.3% 51.7% 17
Colorado 47.9% 52.1% 33
South Carolina 47.3% 52.7% 38
Kansas 46.6% 53.4% 31
Ohio 46.4% 53.6% 116
Washington 46.4% 53.6% 60
West Virginia 46.0% 54.0% 25
Montana 45.4% 54.6% 13
Texas 45.2% 54.8% 121
Louisiana 45.1% 54.9% 27
Arkansas 44.6% 55.4% 24
Puerto Rico 44.4% 55.6% 58
Delaware 43.9% 56.1% 5
Alabama 43.3% 56.7% 31
Wyoming 43.2% 56.8% 5
North Dakota 43.0% 57.0% 15
South Dakota 42.8% 57.2% 14
Hawaii 42.0% 58.0% 9
Georgia 40.8% 59.2% 62
Alaska 40.4% 59.6% 7
Oklahoma 40.1% 59.9% 28
Arizona 38.6% 61.4% 37
Nevada 38.0% 62.0% 10
New Mexico 37.0% 62.9% 12

FAQ

What does the College Dropout Statistics (2026 stats) dataset measure?

It summarizes the metrics shown on this page (charts and tables) using the sources listed in the Data Sources section, with national aggregates and breakdowns where available.

What is the primary data source?

College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education). Some pages also incorporate Census ACS context where noted.

How often is this page updated?

Pages update when the underlying processed datasets are refreshed and the HTML is regenerated; the Last updated date reflects the most recent build.

Data Sources
  • College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education
  • NCES Digest Table 326.30 — first-year retention of first-time, full-time undergraduates
  • National Student Clearinghouse — Some College, No Credential (SCNC) state counts
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year — Table B15003 educational attainment (some college, no degree)
    • Population 25 years and over; variables B15003_019E and B15003_020E
    • Data vintage: 2019–2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Census Data API
  • EDsmart Data CDSI — College Student Debt Stress Index (Scorecard debt ÷ earnings)
  • UPCEA / StraighterLine — survey reasons for leaving (via BestColleges summary)
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics — earnings by education (Employment Projections)
  • Census ACS - U.S. Census Bureau
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Data year: 2023
    • Source: census.gov