Where Are All the Men? A look at male vs. female postsecondary enrollment in North Carolina

The majority of students sitting in college classrooms today are female. Decades-long efforts to increase female representation in academia appear to have worked—perhaps too well. Women carry two-thirds of all student-loan debt yet often major in the lowest-earning fields. An exception is the healthcare professions, in which women also dominate. North Carolina reflects national trends. The proportion of male enrollment in both the University of North Carolina System and the North Carolina Community College System has significantly decreased since 1980. 

Fewer men are enrolling in part because fewer men are even applying to college. There are several explanations for why this might be the case. One is that a traditional college degree is not the best fit for men’s career aspirations. Another possibility is that the flawed K-12 system, where boys graduate at lower rates, is discouraging them from pursuing more education. 

These and other factors are explored in this brief, followed by concrete recommendations for improvement.

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Male vs Female Enrollment