U.S. News
Alarming Trend: New Data Reveals Dramatic Drop in Male College Enrollment
Clear Facts
- Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows a decade-long decline in male college enrollment, with men now constituting 44% of the college population, down from 47% in 2011.
- Despite an increase in high school graduates, the Pew Research Center’s analysis reveals a continuing decline in college enrollment.
- Undergraduate enrollment saw a 2.1% increase for fall 2023, despite complications from the pandemic and COVID-19 restrictions.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, male college enrollment has been on a downward trend for the past decade. Men now make up 44% of the college population, a decrease from 47% in 2011. This decline is happening despite an increase in high school graduates, as revealed by the Pew Research Center’s analysis of the data.
The Pew Research Center’s 2021 study found that men were more likely to skip college due to a lack of interest or the belief that additional education wasn’t necessary for their chosen career path. This trend has led to women becoming the majority demographic in college.
Public sentiment towards higher education has also seen a significant shift over the past decade. Gallup polling data shows that the percentage of young adults who view a college degree as very important has dropped from 74% to 41%. Furthermore, only a third of young adults express confidence in the value of a degree.
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and COVID-19 restrictions, undergraduate enrollment saw a 2.1% increase for fall 2023. However, the ongoing student loan crisis has made financial decisions more difficult for students, who are entering the workforce burdened with significant debt. This has led some to question the necessity of a degree.
In a move that reflects this changing attitude towards higher education, former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland eliminated the college degree requirement from thousands of state government jobs. This decision was made to attract a wider range of applicants and reflects the belief that a degree is not always necessary, depending on the job requirements.
Clear Thoughts (op-ed)
The declining male college enrollment trend, as shown by recent U.S. Census Bureau data, is not a random occurrence.
It’s a conscious choice reflecting the changing sentiment towards higher education, increasingly seen as an expensive route to burdening debt, rather than a guaranteed ticket to prosperity.
The Pew Research Center’s findings that men often skip college due to a lack of interest or belief in its necessity for their career path, is a stark reflection of this shift.
Governor Larry Hogan’s decision to remove the degree requirement from thousands of state jobs is a pragmatic response to this trend.
It’s time we re-evaluate our education system and explore alternatives to the traditional college route, giving our young men and women the freedom to choose their path to success.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Butch
December 31, 2023 at 10:18 am
Stand strong Chick-fil-A Sunday is for the Lord
SAMSON
January 1, 2024 at 6:37 pm
This is good that there is a drop in college attendance, it needs to drop a lot more including females. The colleges are destroying our youth, teaching them nothing except leftism and making whimps out of them. Just take one look around at our country and you can see it everywhere.
Patrick O'Neil
January 1, 2024 at 6:43 pm
First, this is a result of the favoring of anyone EXCEPT (white) males into college, overwhelmingly pushing women to go with all kinds of unfair support. Second, they politicization of college makes it not only useless, but harmful. Learning all about gay sex, transgenderism, and bullshit “pronouns” has rendered college nothing but garbage. Third, learning skills in trades is worth far more to both society and economically than getting degrees in gender studies. Robots vanity replace tradesmen and skilled fine labor.
Fubar
January 1, 2024 at 6:53 pm
Why would any young man want to pay huge sums to attend a university that humiliates them, segregates them, tells them they are racists?
Bruno
January 1, 2024 at 7:00 pm
The real news is that young men have stopped majoring in useless degrees, and are taking up trades or technical certifications instead. Simultaneously, young women continue to major in subjects that have little value in the job market, then cannot find good paying jobs, and are hobbled with student debt.
Carl
January 1, 2024 at 7:37 pm
College is still a necessity for success in a good many fields. It’s true that some fields function as diploma mills (e.g., education, communications, departments ending with the word “studies”). But higher education is still an asset. And if our own (American) sons and daughters don’t go to college, I can assure you that someone else’s sons and daughters will take their place. What we need to do is scale back the entire “diversity” regime, including the fanatic bureaucrats who enforce that regime.
Diane Hamdan
January 1, 2024 at 7:42 pm
I totally agree with the desire of young white men to avoid going to college. The reasons are obvious—this ESG and woke nonsense precludes any deserving student from even getting admitted to college or university based on merit, not ethnicity. In addition, to add insult to injury, they must incur high education loans simply in order to be admitted. This is a failed system that will have long term adverse on our country in all aspects.
Colleen
January 1, 2024 at 9:26 pm
Mike Rowe is finally getting through to men that they can make a lot of money with no student debt if they’re willing to get their hands dirty. My ex-brother-in-law was a self-taught master electrician and did very well for himself. Never had a complaint had never had to advertise, everyone he did work for was so happy they used the word-of-mouth pipeline.
GO Woke Go Broke commie joe
January 1, 2024 at 11:16 pm
These colleges and universities need to step up and stop their lying about the student loans available as I have said before we the people did not talk these morons to take out loans this is not my debt to pay off the fking government has no legal right to force this on the working taxpayer and you lazy ass losers who took out these loan AOC if a gun was held to your head to take uses loans out it’s on the school not the taxpayers responsible to bail your lazy asses out commie traitor joe has no constitutional right to do this he is breaking the law by stealing this money! But then we’ve had an ear full for the last 3 years of his Treason against the United States of America he is a traitor don’t kid yourselves all this money he’s stolen for a foreign war ain’t going to that war effort it’s going in a different direction that’s illegal like he is! Biden and Obamy are destroying this country commie joes just finishing the job Obamy could get done! Karma she a biatch and satans son is finished!