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How many students drop out of college?

  • According to the Department of Education, the national graduation rate for any type of college(public, private or for-profit) was 55%. For Virginia, the rate was 64%.

What are the repercussions of dropping out?

  • College graduates make more money; the graph on the right shows how much annual income people earned in 2010.

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  • Unemployment rates are higher for those without a degree. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in January 2017, when the overall unemployment rate was 4.8%, the rate for dropouts was 5.3% while the rate for people with a degree was 2.5%.

  • Becoming common in racial groups

  • Dropouts earn less and therefore contribute less to the economy(taxes)

  • More criminal justice costs (According to PBS, between the ages 16-24, incarceration rates were 63 times higher than college graduates

  • Rely on public assistance and welfare

Why do they dropout?

  • Becoming common in racial groups

  • Dropouts earn less and therefore contribute less to the economy   

  • More criminal justice costs (According to PBS, between the ages 16-24, incarceration rates were 63 times higher than college graduates

  • Rely on public assistance and welfare

  • Lack of staff support                 

  • Lack of financial support

  • Homesickness

  • Uncertainty about course and career

  • College feels like a bad fit

Why do dropouts hurt everyone?

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