Dropouts Major Headache To Nation's Universities (09/24/60)

Dropouts Major Headache To Nation's Universities

By John F. Sembower
Central Press Association Correspondent

CHICAGO - As many a man in his 60s begins worrying about "middle-age spread," the approximately 600 fully accredited colleges and universities, this fall expecting a record-breaking influx of four million students, are worried about a serious "mid-century spread."

What their presidents and deans mean is that last June "only" 490,400 graduates donned caps and gowns to claim diplomas. That was about 20,000 more than in the previous June, and hardly anyone had any trouble at all landing a really good job. Next June the total will increase by 30,000.

However, when it is considered that this approximately half million graduates includes advanced as well as undergraduate degrees, it shocks many educators who reflect that in 1956 about two million hopeful freshmen started out on four-year quests for a sheepskin.

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IN OTHER WORDS, three out of four fell by the wayside somewhere along the line! Among this September's freshmen the "mortality" could become four out of five.

That this represents a huge waste is emphasized by the fact that this year tuitions are up $30 to $180 a term. Tuition now averages $1,000 among larger private institutions. Among the smaller colleges the range is from the most economical of all, averaging about $500, to the most expensive small private campuses. State-supported institutions, reflecting tax dollars, are less.

Why are there so many student dropouts? Colleges and universities in Indiana have collaborated on a state-wide survey, and Prof. Christian W. Jung of Indiana university blames the heavy toll on "lack of funds, early marriages, interest in a job, and lack of parental encouragement."

Lack of native ability or inadequate high school preparation are other reasons often assigned, but the University of Illinois has announced that its upcoming freshman class is "the most intelligent one in recent years."

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ACCORDING to Dean C. W. Sanford, the director of admissions, 4,354 of the entering freshmen, or 85.11 percent, were graduated last June in the upper one-half of their high school classes. This is an "improvement" of 5.11 percent over the frosh of 1959 and 10 percent over 1953.

Campus living expenses are far higher, of course, than tuition. It is not unusual for a student's annual budget to be $3,000 per year, according to recent surveys.

Only about a third of all students will be able to hold jobs during the nine months' school term and work all or part of their way through college. The rest will have to rely upon "dear old Dad" to foot all or most of the bill.

According to student work surveys, the work-your-way-through opportunities are greater in larger city institutions. The University of Cincinnati reports that 85 percent of its students will hold jobs. Baylor is the only other major institution with as high a ratio.

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