Question:
Do you have information on college enrollment?

Response:

Enrollment in degree-granting institutions increased by 16 percent between 1985 and 1995. Between 1995 and 2005, enrollment increased at a faster rate (23 percent), from 14.3 million to 17.5 million. Much of the growth between 1995 and 2005 was in female enrollment; the number of females enrolled rose 27 percent, while the number of males rose 18 percent. During the same time period, part-time enrollment rose by 9 percent, compared to an increase of 33 percent in full-time enrollment. Enrollment increases can be affected both by population growth and by rising rates of enrollment. Between 1995 and 2005 the number of 18- to 24-year-olds increased from 25.5 million to 29.3 million, and the percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college rose from 34 percent to 39 percent. In addition to the enrollment in accredited 2-year colleges, 4-year colleges, and universities, about 434,000 students attended non-degree-granting, Title IV eligible,¹ postsecondary institutions in fall 2005.

The number of young students has been growing more rapidly than the number of older students, but this pattern is expected to shift. Between 1990 and 2005, the enrollment of students under age 25 increased by 33 percent. Enrollment of people 25 and over rose by 18 percent during the same period. From 2005 to 2016, NCES projects a rise of 15 percent in enrollments of people under 25, and a rise of 21 percent in enrollments of people 25 and over.

Enrollment trends have differed at the undergraduate, graduate, and first professional levels. Undergraduate enrollment generally increased during the 1970s, but dipped slightly between 1983 and 1985. From 1985 to 1992, undergraduate enrollment increased each year, rising 18 percent before declining slightly and stabilizing between 1993 and 1996. Undergraduate enrollment rose 21 percent between 1996 and 2005. Graduate enrollment had been steady at about 1.3 million in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but rose about 59 percent between 1985 and 2005. After rising very rapidly during the 1970s, enrollment in first professional programs stabilized in the 1980s. First-professional enrollment began rising again in the 1990s and showed an increase of 13 percent between 1995 and 2005.

Since 1984, the number of females in graduate schools has exceeded the number of males. Between 1995 and 2005, the number of male full-time graduate students increased by 27 percent, compared to a 65 percent increase for female graduate students. Among part-time graduate students, the number of males increased by 4 percent and the number of females increased by 18 percent.

The percentage of American college students who are minorities has been increasing. In 1976, 15 percent were minorities, compared with 31 percent in 2005. Much of the change from 1976 to 2005 can be attributed to rising numbers of Hispanic and Asian or Pacific Islander students. During that time period, the percentage of Asian or Pacific Islander students rose from 2 percent to 6 percent and the Hispanic percentage rose from 3 percent to 11 percent. The percentage of Black students was 9 percent at the beginning of the time period and it fluctuated during the early part of the period before rising to 13 percent in 2005. Nonresident aliens for whom race/ethnicity is not reported made up 3 percent of the total enrollment in 2005.

¹Title IV programs, which are administered by the U.S. Department of Education, provide financial aid to postsecondary students.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2008). Digest of Education Statistics, 2007 (NCES 2008-022), Chapter 3.

Total fall enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by sex of student and attendance status: Selected years, 1970 through 2005 [In thousands]
Sex and attendance status	Institutions of higher education						Degree-granting institutions
	1970	1975	1980	1985	1990	1995	2000	2001	2002	20031	2004	2005
Total	8,581	11,185	12,097	12,247	13,819	14,262	15,312	15,928	16,612	16,911	17,272	17,487
Sex
Males	5,044	6,149	5,874	5,818	6,284	6,343	6,722	6,961	7,202	7,260	7,387	7,456
Females	3,537	5,036	6,223	6,429	7,535	7,919	8,591	8,967	9,410	9,651	9,885	10,032
Attendance status
Full-time	5,816	6,841	7,098	7,075	7,821	8,129	9,010	9,448	9,946	10,326	10,610	10,797
Part-time	2,765	4,344	4,999	5,172	5,998	6,133	6,303	6,480	6,665	6,586	6,662	6,690

¹ Data revised from previously published figures.

NOTE: Data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2008). Digest of Education Statistics, 2007 (NCES 2008-022), Table 179.

Total fall enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by age: Selected years, 1990 through 2016 [In thousands]
Age	1990	1995	2000	2005	20071	20101	20161
Total	13,819	14,262	15,312	17,487	17,958	18,839	20,442
14 to 17 years old	177	148	145	199	178	177	190
18 and 19 years old	2,950	2,894	3,531	3,610	3,812	4,018	4,010
20 and 21 years old	2,761	2,705	3,045	3,778	3,904	4,203	4,299
22 to 24 years old	2,144	2,411	2,617	3,072	3,109	3.277	3,715
25 to 29 years old	1,982	2,120	1,960	2,384	2,533	2,688	3,168
30 to 34 years old	1,322	1,236	1,265	1,354	1,337	1,443	1,741
35 years old and over	2,484	2,747	2,749	3,090	3,086	3,034	3,319

¹ Projected.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Data by age are based on the distribution by age from the U.S. Census Bureau.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Digest of Education Statistics, 2007 (NCES 2008-022) Table 181 and Projections of Education Statistics to 2016 (2008-060) Table 11.

Total fall enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by student level: Selected years, 1970 through 2005 [In thousands]
Student characteristic	Institutions of higher education					Degree-granting institutions
	1970	1980	1985	1990	1995	2000	2001	2002	20031	2004	2005
Total	8,581	12,097	12,247	13,819	14,262	15,312	15,928	16,612	16,911	17,272	17,487
Undergraduate1	7,376	10,475	10,597	11,959	12,232	13,155	13,716	14,257	14,480	14,781	14,964
Graduate2	1,031	1,343	1,376	1,586	1,732	1,850	1,904	2,036	2,102	2,157	2,186
First-professional	173	278	274	273	298	307	309	319	329	335	337

¹ Data revised from previously published figures.
² Data include unclassified undergraduate students.
³ Data include unclassified graduate students.

NOTE: Data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2008). Digest of Education Statistics, 2007 (NCES 2008-022), Tables 179, 196, 197, 198.

Percentage distribution of students enrolled in degree-granting institutions, by race/ethnicity: Selected years, fall 1976 through fall 2005
Race/ethnicity	Institutions of higher education			Degree-granting institutions
	1976	1980	1990	2000	2002	20031	2004	2005
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
White	82.6	81.4	77.6	68.3	67.1	66.7	66.1	65.7
Total minority	15.4	16.1	19.6	28.2	29.4	29.8	30.4	30.9
Black	9.4	9.2	9.0	11.3	11.9	12.2	12.5	12.7
Hispanic	3.5	3.9	5.7	9.5	10.0	10.1	10.5	10.8
Asian or Pacific Islander	1.8	2.4	4.1	6.4	6.5	6.4	6.4	6.5
American Indian/Alaskan Native	0.7	0.7	0.7	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
Nonresident alien	2.0	2.5	2.8	3.5	3.6	3.5	3.4	3.3

¹ Data revised from previously published figures.

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic origin. Data through 1990 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2008). Digest of Education Statistics, 2007 (NCES 2008-022), Table 216.

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2008, Digest of Education Statistics 2007, Table 177. Enrollment, staff, and degrees conferred in postsecondary institutions participating in Title IV programs, by level and control of institution, sex of student, and type of degree: Fall 2005 and 2005-06.
  
• 2008, Digest of Education Statistics 2007, Table 195. Enrollment rates of 18- to 24- year olds in degree-granting institutions, by sex and race/ethnicity: 1967 through 2006.
  
• 2008, Digest of Education Statistics 2007, Table 202. Total fall enrollment in all degree-granting institutions, by attendance status, sex, and state or jurisdiction: 2004 and 2005
  
• 2008, Digest of Education Statistics 2007, Table 224. Number of degree-granting institutions and enrollment in these institutions, by size, type, and control of institution: Fall 2005
  
• 2008, The Condition of Education 2008: Immediate Transition to College
  
• 2008, The Condition of Education 2008: Past and Projected Undergraduate Enrollment
  
• 2008, The Condition of Education 2008: Trends in Graduate/First-Professional Enrollment
  
• 2007, Projections of Education Statistics to 2016, Table 19. Actual and alternative projected numbers for undergraduate enrollment in all degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by sex, attendance status, and control on institution: Fall 1991 to fall 2016
  
• 2007, Projections of Education Statistics to 2016, Table 20. Actual and alternative projected numbers for graduate enrollment in all degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by sex, attendance status, and control on institution: Fall 1991 to fall 2016
  
• 2007, Projections of Education Statistics to 2016, Table 21. Actual and alternative projected numbers for first-professional enrollment in all degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by sex, attendance status, and control on institution: Fall 1991 to fall 2016
  
• 2005, The Condition of Education 2005: Minority Student Enrollments
  
• 2004, The Condition of Education 2004: International Comparison of Transition to Postsecondary Education
  

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2007, Characteristics of Minority-Serving Institutions and Minority Undergraduates Enrolled in These Institutions
  
• 2007, Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G-8 Countries: 2006
  
• 2007, Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2005; Graduation Rates, 1999 & 2002 Cohorts; and Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2005
  
• 2007, Part-time Undergraduates in Postsecondary Education: 2003-04
  
• 2007, Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Minorities
  
• 2005, Gender Differences in Participation and Completion of Undergraduate Education and How They Have Changed Over Time
  
• 2005, Postsecondary Participation Rates by Sex and Race/Ethnicity: 1974-2003
  
• 2005, The Road Less Traveled? Students Who Enroll in Multiple Institutions