Costs Spur More U.S. Teens to Delay or Skip College

More than a third of U.S. teenagers would consider delaying or skipping college, an increase from last year, because of the high costs, according to a new study.

It showed that while more teens think a college degree is needed to get ahead than adults did when they were adolescents, fewer believe they can afford to continue their education.

"This is very concerning," said Stuart Rubinstein, of investment firm TD Ameritrade Corp., which conducted the poll. "A college degree is really necessary these days for someone who is on a path to have a good career and life-time earning potential."

About 79 percent of teens see a degree as critical for their future success, down from 84 percent a year ago, but up sharply from 57 percent of adults who saw it as essential when they were teens.

But 36 percent of the teenagers said they would consider delaying or not going to college at all because of the expense involved, up from 31 percent a year ago.

Source: Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69758G20101008