Enrolment and drop-out rates rise in US colleges

Enrolment into US colleges and universities continues to increase, the latest figures show, with a record 15.3m students expected to be on higher education courses this year.

But a new report suggests more than half of students in four-year degree courses drop out before graduating.

According to the US Department of Education, enrolments are up 2% on last year, and it is predicted the student population will grow by an additional 16% over the next decade.

The predictions show an increasing majority of females in US colleges and universities, with the female college population growing from 8.7m to 10.3m over the next decade.

Private colleges will see faster growth than public institutions, the figures show. The projections are based on a number of economic and demographic factors - the population of 18 to 24-year-olds is projected to increase from 27.3m to 30.5m over the next decade.

But a separate report by the US-based Council for Aid to Education has concluded that less than 50% of US college students entering four-year courses at colleges or universities will actually graduate.

Officials believe the high drop-out rates are partly a result of the widening access policies of colleges. They now have a much larger intake of students from poorer backgrounds, but many of the new students are not adequately prepared for higher education.