Report: Americans Overemphasize College as Key to Upward Mobility: ...“In this unforgiving economy, successfully completing a post-secondary degree offers adults the best insurance that they will find work,” the report states. “Because the majority of young adults do not earn even an associate’s degree, we face an ever-rising population of less educated teens and young adults who are persistently disconnected from both education and employment.”
Currently, 70 percent of high school graduates enter college within two years but only 4 in 10 earn an associate’s or bachelor’s degree by their mid-twenties. Only 56 percent earn a bachelor’s degree within six years and less than 30 percent of community college students finish their two-year degree within three years. Just 30 percent of African-Americans and fewer than 20 percent of Latinos earn an associate’s degree or higher by their mid-twenties. In addition, the nation has an extremely high high-school dropout rate with one million students leaving school each year before earning a diploma.
