Rethinking the Path: Why So Many Minority Men Leave College Without a Credential

In the U.S. today, more than 43 million people have attended college without completing a degree or credential. It’s a quiet crisis with loud consequences—one that disproportionately affects Black, Hispanic, and Native American men.

The numbers are sobering. According to the National Student Clearinghouse’s latest Some College, No Credential (SCNC) report, men make up over half of the SCNC population, even though they represent less than 43% of current undergraduates. When we narrow the lens to race and ethnicity, the imbalance grows. Black and Hispanic students—especially men—stop out at higher rates, are less likely to return, and face steeper challenges in completing a credential once they do.

The report doesn’t offer specific reasons for these patterns. But the lived experiences behind the data are familiar to many of us working at the intersection of education, workforce, and financial stress.

And a big part of the problem may start well before college ever begins.

The Cost of One-Track Messaging

For the better part of two decades, the prevailing wisdom was clear: college was the only path to success. High schools—particularly in under-resourced communities—doubled down on “college-for-all” messaging. Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs were defunded, apprenticeships were dismissed, and students were told, explicitly or implicitly, that anything less than a bachelor’s degree was settling.

But college is not a monolith. And the reality is that many students—especially first-generation, low-income, and minority youth—were sent into higher education without the tools, support, or roadmap they needed to thrive.

That’s not a failure of the student. It’s a systemic mismatch between well-intentioned aspirations and real-world infrastructure.

What Gets Missed When Trades Are Left Out

Today, skilled trades represent some of the fastest-growing and highest-demand career fields in the country. Electricians, HVAC techs, welders, mechanics, and IT support specialists aren’t just filling jobs—they’re building lives, families, and futures.

Yet these paths are still too often underrepresented—or outright discouraged—in schools serving Black and Brown boys.

By sidelining trades, we not only limit student choice—we also increase the risk of stopout. Many young men of color are steered into community colleges or for-profit institutions with low completion rates and high financial burdens. When support systems fall short or life gets in the way, these students are more likely to disengage. And too often, they’re left with nothing but debt and a growing sense of failure.

Reframing the Conversation

At Dealing With Debt, we don’t believe in shame or binary thinking. College isn’t bad. Trades aren’t second-class. People don’t stop out because they’re lazy—they stop out because systems weren’t built to support the full diversity of human experience.

We believe it’s time to reclaim choice, restore dignity, and rebuild trust.

That starts in high school. With guidance counselors who offer real options, not just prestige paths. With CTE programs that are funded, modernized, and inclusive. With families and communities that understand a trade credential can be just as powerful as a diploma.

It continues in higher ed. With institutions that partner across sectors. With policies that award credentials for work already completed. With wraparound support for students balancing work, caregiving, and school.

And it requires all of us to listen differently—to what success looks like, what stability feels like, and what opportunity really means.

Let’s Stop Counting Stopouts and Start Building On-Ramps

Minority men don’t need more pressure to conform to a one-size-fits-all idea of success. They need access, options, and tools that match their goals.

At Dealing With Debt, we’re building a platform—and a movement—to support every learner’s journey, whether they’re in school, back in school, or forging a new path entirely.

Because confidence doesn’t come from credentials alone. It comes from knowing you have a future that fits.