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Key takeaways

It's natural to wonder about dropping out when you鈥檙e weighing factors like cost, performance, life changes, or uncertainty about your career goals.

• As of the start of the 2023鈥�2024 school year, the number of students with some college experience, but no degree, was 43.1 million [].

• If you choose to leave college, you may return later without having to start over, especially because college credits do not expire.

• You can explore alternatives to college, such as trade school, entering the workforce, or enrolling in a certificate program.

When considering whether to go to college, it鈥檚 easy to focus on the long-term benefits of earning a degree: higher salaries, lower unemployment rates, valuable skills development, and networking opportunities. In the shadow of these attractive benefits lie the immediate costs of attending college, including financial obligations, time commitments, and emotional tolls.

Explore a framework for navigating whether you should drop out of college, discover some common reasons students decide to pause their education, and determine what may come next.

Should I drop out of college? Reasons students drop out

As of 2025, 43.1 million people in the US went to college but never earned a degree, a decrease from the year before [].

Here are some common reasons students drop out of college:

• To pursue job opportunities

• Uncertain educational goals

• Insecure finances

• Physical or mental health priorities

• Poor academic performance

However, what鈥檚 true for many people isn鈥檛 necessarily true for you. It鈥檚 possible to face one or several of the above scenarios and continue pursuing your college degree. So, how can you decide whether or not to drop out of college? Let鈥檚 explore one way to figure out the best choice for you.

Dropout student terminology

Commonly, people who attended college but never graduated are called college dropouts. However, education advocates and researchers, including the National Student Clearinghouse, offer a less stigmatized name for this population: 鈥淪ome College, No Credential鈥� (SCNC) or 鈥渟top-outs.鈥�

This modern terminology is a bit more accurate. 鈥淒ropping out鈥� implies that there鈥檚 no going back; however, in reality, leaving college isn鈥檛 necessarily a permanent decision. It may be helpful to keep this perspective and adopt this kinder language as you decide on your best path forward.

Read more: Is College Worth It?

How to know if I should drop out of college

When you think about whether or not college is the right place for you at this time, a helpful starting point is your cost-benefit analysis. Here are some questions to ask yourself during your self-reflection:

• What do you stand to gain from your college education, and what are the costs or sacrifices you will have to make? Remember that the cost of college can be financial, but it doesn't have to be. Your time, energy, and well-being can also count toward your total costs.

• When can you expect a return on your investment? Consider whether your long-term gains are more valuable than your immediate costs. In some cases, long-term gains may not be worth immediate costs. For example, if you are experiencing a health crisis, the immediate expense to your well-being may outweigh the long-term salary benefits associated with earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree.

• Are there any ways to lower your total costs or increase your gains? Perhaps a temporary pause in pursuing your education may help you reduce your overall costs. For example, taking a few years off from school to enter the workforce may enable you to save enough money to avoid student loans.

• What are your reasons for wanting to drop out of college, and how can you resolve your concerns? Think about whether your best path toward resolution will take place while you pursue your degree or outside of a college environment. For example, if you aren鈥檛 clear on your educational and career goals, do you feel more confident that you can clarify your goals by taking various elective courses, or will you feel more confident exploring your goals through hands-on work experience?

There are also some logistical factors that you may consider when you鈥檙e thinking about leaving college. For example, many colleges will not refund tuition after a certain point in the semester, so it may be worth finishing your current coursework before disenrolling.

If you have any thoughts of returning to college in the future, earning the credits you鈥檝e paid for is typically worthwhile: College credits do not expire. Once you earn college credits, those credits are yours forever, and you may be able to apply those credits to a degree should you go back to school later on, whether you re-enroll in the same school or a new one.

In fact, over one million former stop-outs re-enrolled in a college program during the 2023鈥�2024 school year, and 47,000 of those students earned their first credential鈥攁 feat made possible in part thanks to previously earned college credits. The National Student Clearinghouse counts stop-outs as 鈥減otential completers,鈥� as former students who made at least two years of academic progress prior to disenrollment. In the 2023鈥�2024 academic year, they earned a credential at nearly double the rate of those not defined as potential completers [].

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You don鈥檛 have to make this decision alone. Speak to an academic advisor to learn more about your options. Many college campuses offer assistance with job placement, academic tutoring, mental health services, and financial aid. They also may have options to temporarily pause your education for a few semesters if you plan to return or can assist with transferring your credits to a new school that better fits your current needs.

What happens if you drop out of college?

There鈥檚 no prescribed next step for people who decide to drop out of college. What you do next is entirely up to you.

It may be helpful to plan your next steps prior to disenrolling from college. This way, you can consider the implications of your next steps in your cost-benefit analysis and create an action plan to set yourself up for long-term success.

Some common paths people take after leaving college include:

• Starting a business

• Entering the workforce

• Enrolling in a boot camp or certificate program

• Becoming a caregiver

• Learning a trade

Pursuing alternatives to college: Can I still be successful if I drop out of college?

Although it seems to be the most popular choice, going to college isn鈥檛 your only path toward success in your career and life.

Here are some alternatives to college worth considering:

1. Enter the workforce. (Learn about jobs that don鈥檛 require a college degree.)

2. Start your own business.

3. Pursue an internship or apprenticeship.

4. Explore open online courses.听

5. Earn an entry-level Professional Certificate.

6. Enroll in a boot camp.

7. Enroll in community college.

8. Consider online college for more flexible learning options.

9. Attend a trade school.

Learn more about alternatives to college and how to choose the right next steps to move closer to your goals.

Determine your career path and alternatives to college

Looking for guidance? Subscribe to our for alternatives to college and career change advice. Then, explore free, digital resources to help determine your next steps:

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• Take a quiz: Career Test: What Career is Right for Me Quiz?

• Learn a new skill: How to Start Learning Software Development: A Custom Course Guide

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