Women greatly outnumber men on UNC System campuses

Those championing women’s education in the 1960s and 1970s have seemingly been victorious. Both nationally and in North Carolina, women outnumber men on college campuses. This is the topic of a new policy brief by the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. “Where Are All the Men? A Look at Male vs. Female Postsecondary Enrollment in North Carolina” analyzes skewed enrollment data and offers actionable steps to improve higher education for all students. 

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in 2021, female students comprised 58% of total undergraduate enrollment, while male students made up only 42%. These numbers reflect a growing trend that first began in 1979.

The NCES states:

Between 2010 and 2021, male enrollment decreased by 17 percent (from 7.8 million to 6.5 million students) and female enrollment decreased by 13 percent (from 10.2 million to 8.9 million students). Over this period, male enrollment saw its largest single-year decline in fall 2020 (7 percent), while female enrollment saw its largest single-year decline in fall 2021 (3 percent). In contrast, between 2021 and 2031, female and male enrollment are both projected to increase by 9 percent (to 9.7 and 7.1 million students, respectively).

There is a similar story in North Carolina. In both the University of North Carolina System and the North Carolina Community College System, more women than men enroll and persist in their educations. In the UNC System, men constituted 41% of the student body in 2023, and in the community-college system, they constituted 39%. Between 1980 and 2023, female enrollment in the UNC System increased by 119%, while male enrollment increased by only 65%. 

Women are clearly in the majority on college campuses, but that is not always to their advantage. Additional statistics complicate the story. Women disproportionately earn degrees in fields with low returns on investment. In some cases, they are financially worse off for having earned a degree in the first place. Women also carry two-thirds of student-loan debt and are more likely to default on their student loans. These realities should prompt women to carefully consider which degree path is worth pursuing. Going to college isn’t always the wisest decision. 

Some men may have realized that their realities are similar, which could explain why they are opting out of college. Indeed, an analysis by the Financial Times shows that men with a college degree and those without a college degree have similar unemployment rates. Why invest time and money in an education that doesn’t promise a good return on investment?

The climate on college campuses, which prioritizes female success and often demonizes male contributions, could be another deterrent. Being lectured to about toxic masculinity is no doubt unattractive to many men, especially if they already doubt the value of college. In view of these downsides, some men may be choosing a different path that better suits their goals and avoids much of the politicization plaguing academia. Apprenticeships, short-term training programs, or the military are some alternative options. 

Additional factors could be influencing men’s decisions. Perhaps a negative K-12 experience, which often better accommodates girls’ learning styles, has discouraged them from pursuing continued education. Data show that boys graduate from high school at lower rates than girls. In North Carolina, boys graduate at a lower rate than girls, but only slightly. Girls are more likely to enroll in dual-enrollment programs, which set students on a path to earn a credential. 

To improve higher education, the Martin Center recommends that trustees and administrators: 

Return to standardized tests. 

Competitive institutions should use standardized tests in admissions. Girls generally outperform boys in the classroom, but boys outperform girls on standardized tests. Using both high-school GPA and standardized tests in admissions will put men and women on the same footing for college admissions.

End all discrimination against men.

This includes women-only scholarships and programs that attract only female applicants to campus. Such programs are already illegal under federal law but often still exist on campuses. Nevertheless, as George R. La Noue has written for Law & Liberty, “No existing public race- or sex-based scholarship meets those SFFA tests or the textual requirements in Title VI and IX.”

Expand career-oriented pathways.

Enhance high-quality technical and career-oriented programs, particularly in fields with high male interest (e.g., IT, construction management, cybersecurity, automotive technology). Develop stackable credentials and earn-while-you-learn models that appeal to students seeking a direct return on investment.

Promote alternative admissions pipelines.

Offer dual-enrollment career- and technical-education pathways, apprenticeships, or military-to-college bridge programs. Facilitate credit for prior learning in community colleges and universities.

Market workforce Pell grants.

Starting in high school, promote awareness of new financial-aid opportunities for short-term credentials.

In the end, success shouldn’t be measured merely by the total number of men or women in higher education. Men attending college in lower numbers isn’t necessarily a problem. It could be that they are making positive life decisions by electing to pursue a different career route. But it’s important to understand whether any forces are discouraging men’s postsecondary pursuits. Barriers in the form of K-12 failures, politicization, and discrimination must be immediately removed. Doing so is in the interest of men, women, and society. 

“Women greatly outnumber men on UNC System campuses” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.