Producing fewer college graduates is a worrisome sign for a state with an undereducated work force trying to compete in a high-tech economy.

But that is exactly the situation Maine finds itself in.

Enrollment in the University of Maine system has dropped 9 percent since 2002, according to a story in Sunday’s Portland Press Herald, while the University of Southern Maine has dropped 18 percent.

In addition to causing financial problems for the university system, the numbers suggest there will be fewer young people available for jobs that require four-year degrees.

There are a host of reasons for the drop, including a long-term decline in the number of high school graduates.

But the numbers confirm what many have long suspected, that the state’s decision to create a community college system is attracting many students who might have attended one of the state’s four-year institutions.

While the University of Maine’s system-wide enrollment began declining in 2002, enrollment in the community college system since then has nearly doubled.

For instance, enrollment at Central Maine Community College has soared from 1,646 in 2002 to 2,913 in 2011. Southern Maine Community College has gone from 2,850 students to 7,482 over the same period.

One of the goals of the community college system was to draw in students who might not otherwise attend college. But the numbers show many students who once considered a four-year school are opting for a community college.

Cost is the obvious reason. Hard-pressed by the recession, Maine students and their families are clearly looking for a higher eduction they can afford.

Maine students now have the second-highest debt burden in the U.S., leaving school with an average of nearly $30,000 in debt.

A single credit hour is nearly three times as expensive at the University of Southern Maine than at Southern Maine Community College, according to the Press Herald story.

The recession is forcing students to narrow their choices and select just enough job skill training to obtain a job and earn a living.

While students might like to attend a four-year program, the community college system is offering a pragmatic alternative to students from middle-income families frightened by stories of students with huge college loans working in minimum-wage jobs.

The university system has kicked off a media campaign to increase its enrollment numbers, and it does have a story to tell.

There is a straight-line correlation between education and higher lifetime earnings. From a two-year degree to a Ph.D., average incomes increase at every increment.

During the recession, people with four-year degrees have lost jobs, but at a much slower rate than those with two-year degrees and high school diplomas.

There is also an argument to be made that a four-year degree results in a well-rounded person with a variety of skills that are adaptable to many occupations.

Still, the biggest factor is cost.

Until Maine’s four-year colleges can somehow cap their annual tuition increases, the enrollment picture for the next 10 years will resemble the last 10.

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The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and editorial board.