By Jasmine Browley ·Updated July 6, 2023
College may not be the logical next step for many ambitious high schoolers.
A new report from ECMC Group, a nonprofit focused on student success, found that while young adults see value in postsecondary education, they are seeking out other alternatives besides four-year colleges.
From January 2020 and January 2022, more than 7,000 high school students were asked to weigh in about their thoughts on higher education and the future of work between This perspective is mainly because of the high tuition cost and student debt after graduation. Their concerns are valid.
Right now, the national total student loan debt (including federal and private loans) sits at $1.75 trillion. The average borrower took out $28,950.What’s more, the average student loan payment is $460 per month, and it usually takes the average borrower about 20 years to pay off their debts.
A majority of the high schooler (62%) worry about paying for college and in 2020, 20% of students seriously considered attending a community college. That number grew to 25% in less than two years later, in 2023. The students are also looking at technical education, CTE. That number rose from 15% in 2020 to 19% in 2023. On-the-job training interest jumped from 19% to 22% as well.
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