The number of associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees conferred by private for-profit institutions increased by a larger percentage between 1995–96 and 2005–06 than the number conferred by private not-for-profit and public institutions.

Although the number of degrees conferred increased between 1995–96 and 2005–06, the percentage increase varied among types of institutions. For associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, the percentage increases were slower for public and private not-for-profit institutions than for private for-profit institutions. For example, the number of bachelor’s degrees conferred by public and private not-for-profit institutions increased by 23 percent between 1995–96 and 2005–06 (from 774,100 to 995,400 at public institutions and from 379,900 to 467,800 at private not-for-profit institutions), compared with 474 percent (10,800 to 62,000) at private for-profit institutions (see table 41-1). At the master’s degree level, the number of degrees conferred by public institutions increased 29 percent (from 227,200 to 293,500), compared with 46 percent at private not-for-profit institutions (175,300 to 255,400) and 1,069 percent at private for-profit institutions (3,900 to 45,100).

The shift was evident in the share of degrees awarded. Between 1995–96 and 2005–06, the percentage of associate’s degrees decreased from 82 to 78 percent for public institutions and from 9 to 7 percent for private not-for-profit institutions. In contrast, the percentage of these degrees conferred by private for-profit institutions increased from 9 to 15 percent. The percentage of bachelor’s degrees conferred decreased from 66 to 64 percent for public institutions and from 33 to 31 percent for private not-for-profit institutions, while it increased from 1 to 4 percent for private for-profit institutions. The largest shift at the advanced degree level was in the percentage of master’s degrees conferred by private for-profit institutions, which increased from 1 to 8 percent during this period. The percentage of master’s degrees conferred by public institutions decreased from 56 to 49 percent, while the percentage conferred by private not-for-profit institutions remained at about 43 percent.

Yet, despite relatively large percentage increases in the number and share of degrees conferred by private for-profit institutions, the number of degrees awarded remained substantially smaller than at public or private not-for-profit institutions, with the exception of associate’s degrees.