Stopouts Share the Personal Costs of an Unfinished College Degree

What are the real costs of an unfinished college degree? In a StraighterLine survey conducted in partnership with Wakefield Research, we surveyed 1,000 college stopouts (adults who left college before graduating) to learn more. The results may surprise you. 

According to the National Student Clearinghouse, more than 40 million Americans have some college experience but no degree. That said, the impacts of leaving school early are often poorly understood in conversations about higher education. This survey aimed to understand the personal and societal costs of not completing college. It surveyed adults who dropped out about how leaving college early impacted their self-worth, career mobility, and financial prospects over the years.

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Key Takeaways

• For 67% of stopouts, not finishing their degree feels like a personal failure — over a third have even gone so far as to hide the fact that they don’t have their degree from employers, friends, and romantic prospects.

• Not having a college degree has caused stress for a staggering 82% of stopouts — 73% believe not finishing caused them to lose out on a job they really wanted.

• While the main thing holding stopouts back from finishing their degree is cost (62%), a significant 78% would go back to school if they were offered free college-level credit hours.

• More than 8 in 10 stopouts — 83% — say not having a degree has caused stress and anxiety.

• More than half of stopouts estimate they have lost more than $40,000 in annual earnings each year due to not completing their degree.

Summary

The survey reveals that dropping out of college carries more than just financial consequences. It's the lasting personal, social, and economic consequences that respondents feel most. By understanding these experiences, we gain valuable insight into how we can better support students — helping more stay on track and reach their potential. 

With flexible learning options more accessible than ever before, adult learners have new opportunities to return to college and reshape their educational journeys on their own terms! If you’d like to learn more about going back to school, here’s how StraighterLine helps students get their degree.

Methodology

The survey was conducted with an email invitation and online survey between June 9th and July 15th, 2025. It included 1,000 U.S. adults who completed some college, but did not finish a degree, excluding those who dropped out 30+ years ago.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. 

For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

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About StraighterLine

StraighterLine is the leading provider of 75+ high-quality, affordable, online courses that help learners earn college credit and meet their professional goals. Each year, 200,000 learners use StraighterLine courses to upskill into new careers and earn credits that transfer to over 3,000 colleges and universities worldwide. StraighterLine works with institutions and corporate partners to provide their students and employees with flexible education options that allow them to work and learn at their own pace.

About Wakefield Research

Wakefield Research offers best-in-class research with industry expertise. It partners with some of the world’s biggest brands to provide market research, thought leadership and PR polling, and Market Intelligence Research. Wakefield aims to help organizations understand their customers, make critical decisions, develop effective strategies, and create compelling thought leadership with the guidance of strategic insights.