Axios Des Moines: Iowa men have historically enrolled in college at lower rates than women, but the education gap is widening, state data shows. The number of male Iowa high school graduates who immediately enrolled in college dropped 7 percentage points between 2012 and 2019 (64.5% to 57.3%), Iowa College Aid reports. The number of women who immediately enrolled after graduating high school dropped by only 3 percentage points — 74% in 2012 vs. 71.3% in 2019. Filings for the 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, aka FAFSA, suggest the gap continued in the pandemic.