Part of this is Title IX, part of this is affirmative action, part of this is the continued hangover from the recession and part of this is shifting the cost of college from taxpayers (for public colleges and universities) to the private sector (student loans).  There are far too many stories, out there, about people graduating from college with staggering student loan debt and not being able to find careers that will cover the costs that they've incurred.  People are starting to realize that there are other options, and that "selling your soul" doesn't guarantee a middle-class (or better) future . . . and that's not a bad thing!  (And in related news:  64 percent of student debt is held by women, study says. 
 According to the study, women enrolled in college borrow about 14 percent more on average than men in a given year . . .)