Why don’t college-qualified students enroll in college?

A new report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy -Promise Lost: College-Qualified Students Who Don’t Enroll in College -explores why students who are academically qualified to attend college don’t enroll. Survey data from high school counselors and college-qualified students who choose not to go to college show that the reasons are primarily financial (e.g., the high cost of college, the perception that financial aid will be insufficient, the aversion to taking on debt or the need to work). The report also shows that students who choose not to pursue college make that choice very early in their education and don’t even take the initial steps that would make college a viable option (e.g., taking the SAT or ACT, filling out financial aid forms).  One of the report’s recommendations (which supports Breakthrough’s program model) is to intervene early, preferably in middle school, to make sure students are aware of and knowledgeable about their college options.