Janice Lozano
University attendance is a topic that is closely monitored, with statistics providing an overview of enrolment trends. In the US, undergraduate enrolment in the 2022/23 academic year was around 20.3 million, a slight decrease from the previous year. The number of students enrolled in US colleges is roughly 18 million, with 15.2 million of these enrolled in undergraduate programs and 3.1 million in graduate programs. College enrolment has generally declined over the past decade, with a 4% decrease from fall 2019 to fall 2023. However, graduate enrolment has increased by 4.8% during this period.
What You'll Learn
Undergraduate enrollment statistics
However, there is a projection of a 9% increase in undergraduate enrollment between 2021 and 2031, a positive sign for the future. This projected increase is expected to benefit both male and female students, with forecasts suggesting a 9% rise for each group.
When examining undergraduate enrollment by gender, women continue to outnumber men. In the fall of 2023, over 10.1 million women were enrolled in college, compared to 7.2 million men. This represents a slight decrease from previous years, with male enrollment seeing a 17% decline between 2010 and 2021, and female enrollment decreasing by 13% during the same period.
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Graduate enrollment statistics
In Fall 2023, there were roughly 3.1 million graduate students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, constituting 17.13% of all postsecondary students. This marks a notable increase from the 2.6 million graduate students recorded in 2020. The rise in graduate enrollment is particularly evident in community colleges, which experienced a significant surge in freshman enrollment, with a 6.2% increase.
Among graduate students, female enrollment has demonstrated a steady rise, increasing by 14% between 2010 and 2021, while male enrollment has remained relatively stable during the same period. In Fall 2023, female graduate students numbered around 1.8 million, comprising 59% of the graduate student population.
Graduate enrollment rates also vary across racial and ethnic groups. From Fall 2010 to Fall 2021, enrollment increased for students of two or more races (201% increase), Hispanic students (81% increase), and Asian students (36% increase). In contrast, enrollment decreased for American Indian/Alaska Native students (18% decrease), White students (9% decrease), and Pacific Islander students (5% decrease).
The upward trend in graduate enrollment is expected to continue, with projections indicating a further increase by 2031.
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Full-time vs part-time enrollment
In fall 2023, 65% of students enrolled in colleges in the US were full-time students, while 35% studied part-time. In 2021, 9.5 million students were full-time students in undergraduate institutions, while 5.95 million were enrolled part-time.
Full-time and part-time enrollment rates also vary across different types of courses. 41% of public 2-year undergraduate students participated exclusively in distance education courses, while 35% and 15% of 2-year undergraduate students in private nonprofit and private for-profit institutions, respectively, studied exclusively in distance education courses. 71% of undergraduate 4-year college students studying at private for-profit institutions studied exclusively in distance education courses. Meanwhile, 20% of undergraduate students at 4-year public institutes and another 20% of students in private nonprofit institutes studied in distance education courses.
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Online vs in-person enrollment
The Pros and Cons of Online Classes
Online classes offer a lot of flexibility for students. Students can log in from anywhere and complete coursework at any time before the due date. This means that students can work around their family and work commitments. Online courses are also often cheaper than in-person classes as they don't require students to pay for room and board or transportation. However, online classes don't offer face-to-face interaction with peers and professors, and not all majors are available online, especially if they require hands-on training or specialised equipment.
The Pros and Cons of In-Person Classes
In-person classes offer a structured schedule, which can be helpful for students who struggle with time management. They also offer hands-on training, which is invaluable for certain degree programs. In-person classes also offer more opportunities for networking and building relationships with professors and classmates. However, in-person classes are often less flexible, which can make it difficult for students to hold down a job or take care of a family. They can also be more expensive, as students often have to pay for room and board or transportation.
Enrollment Statistics
In the US, there were approximately 18.58 million college students in 2022, with around 13.49 million enrolled in public colleges and 5.09 million enrolled in private colleges. College enrollment peaked in 2010 at 21.02 million and has been declining since. In Spring 2024, there was a 2.5% increase in undergraduate enrollment, with 359,000 more students joining campuses. This increase was particularly notable in community colleges, which saw a 4.7% rise.
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Enrollment by race and ethnicity
The number of students enrolling in colleges in the US has been declining since 2010, with a peak of 21.02 million students enrolled that year. In 2022, there were 15.397 million undergraduate students nationwide, a 7% decline from 2019.
Race and ethnicity affect a student's chances of earning a college degree. While college degrees are increasing among all racial and ethnic groups, white and Asian Americans are more likely to hold a college degree or earn one than Black, Hispanic, or Native Americans.
Undergraduate Enrollment
In 2016, there were 16.3 million undergraduate students enrolled in degree-granting institutions in the US. Of these, about 9.1 million were White, 3.2 million were Hispanic, 2.2 million were Black, 1.1 million were Asian, 596,000 were of two or more races, 129,000 were American Indian/Alaska Native, and 47,000 were Pacific Islander.
Between 2000 and 2016, Hispanic undergraduate enrollment more than doubled, increasing by 134%. In contrast, undergraduate enrollment for other racial/ethnic groups increased during the first part of this period, then began to decrease around 2010. For example, Black enrollment increased by 73% between 2000 and 2010 but then decreased by 17% by 2016.
As a result of these different growth rates, the distribution of enrollment by racial/ethnic group changed. During this time, Hispanic enrollment as a percentage of total enrollment increased from 10% to 19%, and Black enrollment increased from 12% to 14% of total enrollment. White enrollment as a percentage of total enrollment decreased between 2000 and 2016, from 70% to 56%.
Graduate Enrollment
Total graduate enrollment also increased for each racial/ethnic group between 1976 and 2008. During that time, Asian/Pacific Islander enrollment grew six-fold, and Hispanic graduate enrollment in 2008 was over five times that of enrollment in 1976.
The number of both males and females in undergraduate programs has increased since 1976. By 1980, the percentage of females enrolled as undergraduates surpassed the percentage of males. The largest difference between male and female enrollments was among Black students. In 1976, about 54% of Black undergraduates were female, and this number increased over time. Similar trends were observed among other racial/ethnic groups, with female enrollment overtaking male enrollment.
Enrollment by Institutional Type
In 2008, about 73% of the 18.4 million US college students attended public institutions, 19% attended private nonprofit institutions, and 8% attended private for-profit institutions. There were variations by race/ethnicity. About 81% of Hispanics and 79% of American Indians/Alaska Natives attended public institutions, higher than the percentages for Whites (73%), Blacks (68%), and Asians/Pacific Islanders (75%).
A higher percentage of Black students (15%) attended private for-profit institutions than students of any other race/ethnicity. Additionally, almost half (49%) of Hispanic college and university students attended public 2-year institutions, a higher percentage than any other race/ethnicity.
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Frequently asked questions
Approximately 18 million students are enrolled in U.S. colleges, with 18.1 million students enrolled in fall 2023.
College enrollment has generally declined over the past decade, with a notable drop during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there was a positive turnaround in spring 2024, with a 2.5% increase in undergraduate enrollment.
In fall 2023, about 15.2 million students were enrolled in undergraduate programs in the U.S. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, with 20.4 million undergraduate students in 2021-22.
There were about 3.1 million graduate students in the U.S. in fall 2023. Graduate enrollment has increased by 4.8% since fall 2019.
In 2022, about 62% of people who completed high school immediately enrolled in college. This is a slight decrease from previous years, with 61.8% of recent high school graduates enrolling in college in 2021.
