WASHINGTON, July 22 (UPI) -- The United States has dropped to 12th place in the percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds who have earned some sort of college degree, the College Board said.
Canada leads the world, with 55.8 percent of its young adults having at least the equivalent of an associate's degree, The Washington Post reported. In the United States, 40.4 percent of the 25- to 34-year-old group have that level of education, a report by the board said.
The United States is in sixth place in the percentage of all adults with degrees.
The Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education, a panel of educators, advocated in December 2008 that the United States should increase the percentage of young adults with post-secondary degrees to 55 percent by 2025. The American Graduation Initiative, created by President Obama, has the same goal five years sooner, in 2020.
The commission adopted an "action agenda" for states and the federal government. The 10 points include better access to preschool, dropout prevention measures in high school, better college counseling and simplifying the admissions process.
