May 15, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

College enrollment of 2001 high school graduates

Among the 2.5 million members of the high school graduating class of 2001, 1.6 million (61.7 percent) enrolled in college by that October.

College enrollment of year 2001 high school graduates, by sex, race and Hispanic origin
[Chart data—TXT]

The college enrollment rate of young women was 63.6 percent, compared with 59.8 percent for young men. The percentage of young women attending college following high school has exceeded that of young men in almost every year since 1988.

Among race and ethnic groups, a greater percentage of white graduates were enrolled in college (63.1 percent) than were black (54.8 percent) or Hispanic (51.5 percent) graduates.

This information is from a supplement to the October 2001 Current Population Survey. Additional information is available from "College Enrollment and Work Activity of 2001 High School Graduates," news release USDL 02-288.