Data Shows High Attrition Rates for Women in STEM Degree Programs

New data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that for all students who began bachelor’s degree programs in STEM fields in 2003-04, 20 percent dropped out of college altogether and 28.1 percent changed to a non-STEM major before earning their degree.

When we break the data down by gender, we find major differences. For men who began in STEM fields, 23.7 percent dropped out of college and 25.5 percent changed to a non-STEM major before earning their degree. For women, only 14.2 percent dropped out of college but 32.4 percent transferred to a non-STEM major.