Amid reports that students are struggling to finish college, new reports reveal that increasing numbers of college students require remedial courses to catch up on skills they failed to learn in high school.

Fully one third of first year students have to take at least one remedial course in subjects including math, reading and English according to a study by the Department of Education.  The situation is worse in two year colleges where 42 percent need remedial courses.

For those grappling with tight budgets and high loans, remedial courses can help to break the bank.  For example, students requiring a remedial reading course have a 17 percent chance of completing a bachelor’s degree.  The Alliance for Excellent Education estimates that remedial courses cost $1.4 billion nationally. 

Professors are also seeing the problem.  65 percent of faculty members polled in the ACT National Curriculum Survey said that students were poorly prepared for college coursework. 

Others, however, believe we’re simply sending too many students to college.  This year set a record for the number of first year college students, some of whom are responding to societal pressure rather than a desire to be in college.  Some suggest the solution is alternative job training for jobs that shouldn’t necessarily require a bachelor’s degree. 

More from the Associated Press