What is the college enrollment trend in the US?

Undergraduate enrollment grew 1.2 percent (+176,000) in fall 2023, the first increase since the pandemic. Among the three largest sectors, growth was highest at community colleges, which gained 118,000 students (+2.6%) after steep declines during the pandemic.

Is US college enrollment declining?

College enrollment among young Americans has been declining gradually over the past decade. In 2022, the total number of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college was down by approximately 1.2 million from its peak in 2011. Most of the decline is due to fewer young men pursuing college.

Is the number of college students increasing?

While the growth is uneven, the total number of students increased by about 5% in the 2022-23 academic year compared to the year prior, according to data from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office.

Are college admissions increasing or decreasing?

College Enrollment Decline: 1980s-2020s

In fall 2021, about 15.4 million students were enrolled in college. Between 1985-2010, college enrollment increased at an average rate of 2.2% a year. From 2011-2021, it decreased at an average rate of 1.6% a year. In 2021, it was 14.6% down from peak enrollment in 2010.

What is the demographic trend for college student?

Preliminary data indicate that total post-secondary enrollment in Spring 2022 fell to 16.2 million; this would be a 14.7% & decline from Fall 2020. 19.6% of the student population is Hispanic or Latino, an 850% increase from 1976. The rate of female college attendance has nearly doubled since 1976, increasing by 98.1%.

U.S. undergraduate enrollment continues to drop

What is the college enrollment trend in 2023?

Current Term Enrollment Estimates: Fall 2023

Public and private nonprofit 4-year institutions both saw smaller increases of 0.6 percent (+38,000 and +16,000, respectively). Over two-thirds of states saw undergraduate enrollment growth this fall.

What is the enrollment trend in higher education 2023?

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center's “Stay Informed with the Latest Enrollment Information” report, initial numbers show that undergraduate enrollment increased 2.1% for fall 2023 — a jump of about 160,000 students compared to 2022. Graduate enrollment ticked up 0.7% over last year.

Are less people going to college 2023?

Preliminary enrollment data for fall 2023 largely brought good news to colleges and universities. Undergraduate enrollment rose 2.1% compared to the year before, with all major institutional sectors enjoying increases, including four-year institutions and community colleges.

Why is college enrollment falling?

College enrollment declines have accelerated since pandemic

There are more “stopped out” students—students who left college with some credits but no degree. Fewer students are transferring from two-year to four-year institutions.

What is the college application trend for 2023 2024?

Overall, early applications to some of the most highly selective schools have increased for the 2023-24 admissions cycle, sustaining a trend that we've seen over the past several admissions cycles. One notable exception to this is Harvard, which has seen a 17% drop in early applications — a four-year low.

Is the number of Americans getting a college degree increasing?

A greater percentage of Americans obtained degrees across degree types in 2021 when compared to 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's educational attainment data. The number of people with a bachelor's degree or higher increased by 7.5 percentage points in this time frame.

What is the richest school in the United States?

U.S. 20 richest colleges in the U.S. FY 2022

The university in the United States with the largest endowment market value in 2022 was Harvard University, with an endowment fund value of about 49.44 billion U.S. dollars.

What is the enrollment cliff?

By now we all know about the demographic cliff: the number of traditional college-aged students will peak in 2025 and then decline dramatically for several years. What is less well-known is that the percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds choosing to attend college reached its peak years ago and continues to decline.

Why is the US college dropout rate so high?

Reasons Why College Students Drop Out

In a 2021 UPCEA survey of 3,236 individuals aged 20-34, the most common reasons students say they ultimately left their institution were money and personal/family issues. Nearly one-third of students (32%) selected personal/family issues as the reason they ultimately left school.

Why is American education declining?

The reasons for recent relative decline— as opposed to historic increase over decades— is likely largely due to or increased emphasis on high stakes testing— which has benefited no one other than the companies that make the tests. Education in the United States has been in decline in the last several decades.

Why are college acceptance rates decreasing?

A greater number of under-qualified candidates have started applying to these prestigious institutions. This means that the plummeting of acceptance rates are more likely due to the increase in number of applicants with more diverse qualifications than a sharp increase in selectivity.

Are bachelor's degrees depreciating?

“The value of traditional CVs and resumes is rapidly fading as the value of educational certifications and degrees in the workplace is gradually diminishing.” The overall value of university and college degrees are decreasing because: degrees are no longer a guarantee of a getting a job.

What college has the lowest acceptance rate 2023?

Who is less likely to go to college?

Men are less likely to enroll in college than women and have been for the last two decades, according to the Pew Research Center. Only 36% of men ages 25-34 surveyed in 2021 had a college degree, compared to 46% of women. Area college enrollment numbers follow this trend.

What state has the most college students?

“The states with the highest numbers of students enrolled in 2022 were California with 2,637,722 students, Texas with 1,681,910 students and New York with 1,197,003 students,” the study said.

Are college applications up or down for 2023?

Total application volume to returning Common App member schools through November 1 rose 65% from 2019–20 (2,028,507) to 2023–24 (3,353,516). Applicants were also applying to slightly more schools in 2023–24 than in 2019–20 (a 17% increase, from 3.42 to 4.01 applications per applicant).

What is the trend in graduate degree enrollment?

Domestic first-time graduate enrollment declined by 4.7% between Fall 2021 and Fall 2022. By contrast, there was a 10.2% increase in international graduate first-time enrollment between Fall 2021 and Fall 2022. Graduate degree holders will continue to play a crucial role in the U.S. workforce.