OPINION: The real college crisis isn’t enrollment. It’s completion, and it’s time to start asking why

The primary crisis in American higher education is not enrollment but completion, with over 43 million individuals having started college without earning a degree. While institutions focus on attracting new students, the significant number of those who stop out represents a substantial economic and moral failure. Despite improvements, national six-year completion rates hover just above 60 percent, meaning nearly 40 percent of students who begin college do not graduate within that timeframe. This rate, considered unacceptable in most sectors, has become normalized in higher education. The article argues that these "some college, no credential" individuals are not failures but rather indicators of systemic issues within the educational infrastructure. Factors contributing to students stopping out include unexpected expenses, changes in work hours, and delays in financial aid, which, while individually minor, can collectively lead to students leaving without completing their degrees. The author contends that this widespread incompletion should not be accepted as an inherent feature of the system but addressed as a critical problem.