While over two million bachelor's degrees were awarded in the United States last year, the story behind this familiar milestone—from shifting enrollment trends to persistent equity gaps and evolving economic returns—is far more complex and revealing.
Key Takeaways
- In the 2020-21 academic year, a total of 2,037,000 bachelor's degrees were conferred by postsecondary institutions in the United States
- During 2020-21, public four-year institutions awarded 1,038,000 bachelor's degrees, representing 51.0% of all bachelor's degrees conferred
- In 2020-21, private nonprofit four-year institutions conferred 677,300 bachelor's degrees, accounting for 33.2% of the total
- 6-year graduation rate for first-time full-time bachelor's students at public four-year institutions was 64% for the 2015 cohort
- Private nonprofit four-year institutions had a 68% 6-year graduation rate for the 2015 entering bachelor's cohort
- For the 2014 cohort, 6-year completion rates at public four-year schools were 63% overall
- 36% of 25- to 29-year-olds held a bachelor's degree or higher in 2021
- Among 25- to 29-year-olds in 2021, 40% of women had a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 33% of men
- In 2021, 27% of Black 25- to 29-year-olds had a bachelor's or higher
- Median earnings for 25-34 year olds with bachelor's degrees were $56,000 in 2019
- Unemployment rate for bachelor's holders aged 25-34 was 2.8% in 2019
- In 2022, median weekly earnings for bachelor's degree holders were $1,432
- In 2021-22, 19% of bachelor's degrees were in business administration and management
- Health professions and related programs accounted for 13% of bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
- Social sciences and history made up 8% of bachelor's degrees awarded in 2021-22
Despite declining enrollment, bachelor's degrees remain common and valuable for career earnings.
Demographic Breakdowns
136% of 25- to 29-year-olds held a bachelor's degree or higher in 2021
Verified2Among 25- to 29-year-olds in 2021, 40% of women had a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 33% of men
Verified3In 2021, 27% of Black 25- to 29-year-olds had a bachelor's or higher
Verified421% of Hispanic 25- to 29-year-olds attained a bachelor's degree or higher in 2021
Directional5White non-Hispanic 25- to 29-year-olds had 42% bachelor's attainment in 2021
Single source6Asian 25- to 29-year-olds reached 61% bachelor's or higher attainment in 2021
Verified7In 2021, bachelor's degree holders aged 25 and older numbered 59.5 million in the U.S. population
Verified837.7% of U.S. adults aged 25+ had a bachelor's degree in 2021
Verified9Women aged 25+ held 39.0% bachelor's attainment rate vs. 36.2% for men in 2021
Directional10In 2021, 25.3% of Black adults 25+ had bachelor's degrees
Single source11Hispanic adults 25+ had 20.9% bachelor's attainment in 2021
Verified12Among 25-34 year olds, 40% had bachelor's degrees in 2020
Verified13College-educated adults 25+ grew from 30% in 2010 to 37% in 2020
Verified1457% of college graduates 25+ are women as of 2021
Directional15In 2021, 14% of U.S. adults 25+ had advanced degrees beyond bachelor's
Single source16Foreign-born adults 25+ had 34% bachelor's attainment rate in 2021 vs. 39% native-born
Verified17In 2019, 66% of bachelor's degree holders aged 25-34 were employed full-time year-round
VerifiedDemographic Breakdowns Interpretation
The data reveals a higher education landscape where women are outpacing men in degree attainment, significant racial gaps persist with Asian Americans leading, and while a college degree is becoming more common, its promise of stable, full-time employment is not a universal guarantee.
Employment and Earnings
1Median earnings for 25-34 year olds with bachelor's degrees were $56,000 in 2019
Verified2Unemployment rate for bachelor's holders aged 25-34 was 2.8% in 2019
Verified3In 2022, median weekly earnings for bachelor's degree holders were $1,432
Verified4Bachelor's degree holders earned 66% more than high school graduates in 2022 median weekly earnings
Directional5Unemployment rate for bachelor's holders was 2.2% in 2022, compared to 4.0% overall
Single source6Over a lifetime, bachelor's degree holders earn about $2.8 million, vs. $1.6 million for high school grads (2022 data)
Verified7In Q4 2022, 23.1% of employed bachelor's holders worked in management occupations
Verified868% of bachelor's degree holders aged 25+ participated in the labor force in 2022
Verified9STEM bachelor's grads had 2.3% unemployment rate in 2022
Directional10Business majors with bachelor's had median salary of $65,000 early career (2022)
Single source11Engineering bachelor's grads earned $80,000 starting salary average in 2023
Verified12Computer science bachelor's starting salary averaged $75,000 in 2023
Verified13Unemployment for recent college grads (bachelor's) was 12.6% in early 2021
Verified14In 2022, 88% of bachelor's holders were employed one year after graduation
Directional15Median earnings for women with bachelor's were $1,179 weekly vs. $1,477 for men in 2022
Single source16Black bachelor's holders had 5.5% unemployment rate in 2022
VerifiedEmployment and Earnings Interpretation
While a bachelor's degree offers a sturdy financial launchpad—with higher earnings, lower unemployment, and a clear lifetime advantage—its power is unevenly distributed, revealing a sobering undercurrent of disparities in gender, race, and major that can't be ignored in the cost-benefit analysis of higher education.
Enrollment Statistics
1In the 2020-21 academic year, a total of 2,037,000 bachelor's degrees were conferred by postsecondary institutions in the United States
Verified2During 2020-21, public four-year institutions awarded 1,038,000 bachelor's degrees, representing 51.0% of all bachelor's degrees conferred
Verified3In 2020-21, private nonprofit four-year institutions conferred 677,300 bachelor's degrees, accounting for 33.2% of the total
Verified4Private for-profit four-year institutions awarded 45,400 bachelor's degrees in 2020-21, making up 2.2% of all bachelor's degrees
Directional5Fall 2021 undergraduate enrollment in bachelor's degree-granting institutions reached 15.4 million students
Single source6Between fall 2010 and fall 2021, total undergraduate enrollment in bachelor's institutions declined by 12%, from 17.5 million to 15.4 million
Verified7In fall 2021, 8.0 million students were enrolled full-time in bachelor's degree programs
Verified8Part-time undergraduate enrollment in bachelor's institutions was 7.4 million in fall 2021
Verified9Public four-year institutions had 5.9 million undergraduate enrollees in fall 2021
Directional10In fall 2021, 56% of undergraduates in bachelor's institutions were female, totaling about 8.6 million women
Single source11First-time freshman enrollment in bachelor's institutions fell 7% from fall 2020 to fall 2021, to 1.2 million students
Verified12In fall 2021, 40% of first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates attended public four-year institutions
Verified13Total fall 2020 enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions was 19.3 million, with bachelor's programs prominent
Verified14From 2010 to 2020, bachelor's enrollment grew by 2% overall despite declines in some sectors
Directional15In 2021, 39% of 18- to 24-year-olds were enrolled in college, many pursuing bachelor's degrees
Single source16Community colleges saw 5.1 million undergraduates in fall 2021, many transferring to bachelor's programs
Verified17International student enrollment in U.S. bachelor's programs was 272,000 in 2021-22
Verified18Fall 2022 saw a 4% increase in first-year international bachelor's enrollees to 85,000
Verified19In 2020-21, 1.4 million bachelor's degrees were awarded in arts, humanities, and social sciences fields
Directional20STEM bachelor's degrees conferred numbered 747,000 in 2020-21
Single source21Business bachelor's degrees totaled 375,000 in 2020-21
Verified22Health professions bachelor's degrees reached 264,000 in 2020-21
Verified23Education bachelor's degrees awarded were 101,000 in 2020-21
Verified24In fall 2019, 41% of undergraduates were Pell Grant recipients pursuing bachelor's degrees
Directional25Average net price for first-time full-time bachelor's students in public four-year institutions was $14,270 in 2019-20
Single sourceEnrollment Statistics Interpretation
In the face of a stubborn enrollment slide, America’s universities, led by the public sector, stubbornly continued their degree factory operations in 2020-21, churning out over two million fresh graduates—predominantly women—while quietly wondering where all the new freshmen had gone.
Fields of Study and Majors
1In 2021-22, 19% of bachelor's degrees were in business administration and management
Verified2Health professions and related programs accounted for 13% of bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Verified3Social sciences and history made up 8% of bachelor's degrees awarded in 2021-22
Verified4Psychology degrees represented 6% of all bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Directional5Biological and biomedical sciences were 6% of bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Single source6Engineering bachelor's degrees totaled 123,000 in 2021-22
Verified7Computer and information sciences awarded 100,000 bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Verified8Visual and performing arts accounted for 5% of bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Verified9Communication and journalism degrees were 5% of bachelor's total in 2021-22
Directional10Multi/interdisciplinary studies made up 3% of bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Single source11In 2021-22, 10% of bachelor's degrees went to agriculture and natural resources fields
Verified12Physical sciences and science technologies were 1% of bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Verified13Bachelor's degrees in mathematics and statistics numbered 25,000 in 2021-22
Verified14Homeland security, law enforcement, and firefighting awarded 45,000 bachelor's in 2021-22
Directional15Public administration and social services: 40,000 bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Single source16Architecture and related services: 10,000 bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Verified17Area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies: under 10,000 bachelor's in 2021-22
Verified18Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics: 15,000 bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Verified19Family and consumer sciences: 20,000 bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Directional20Legal professions and studies: 12,000 bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Single source21Military technologies and applied sciences: fewer than 1,000 bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Verified22Library science: negligible bachelor's degrees awarded in 2021-22
Verified23Theology and religious vocations: 8,000 bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Verified24Mechanic and repair technologies: minimal bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Directional25Precision production trades: virtually no bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Single source26Bachelor's degrees in transportation and materials moving: under 5,000 in 2021-22
Verified27Personal and culinary services: 15,000 bachelor's degrees in 2021-22
Verified28Construction trades: negligible bachelor's awards in 2021-22
VerifiedFields of Study and Majors Interpretation
While business (19%) leads the workforce and health (13%) tends to our bodies, the remaining graduates are shaping our minds, our tech, our laws, and our art—often with a side of avocado toast.
Graduation and Completion Rates
16-year graduation rate for first-time full-time bachelor's students at public four-year institutions was 64% for the 2015 cohort
Verified2Private nonprofit four-year institutions had a 68% 6-year graduation rate for the 2015 entering bachelor's cohort
Verified3For the 2014 cohort, 6-year completion rates at public four-year schools were 63% overall
Verified48-year completion rate for bachelor's seekers at public four-year institutions reached 66% for 2013 cohort
Directional5In 2020, 62% of bachelor's students starting in 2014 had completed within 6 years
Single source6Black students' 6-year graduation rate at public four-year institutions was 46% for 2015 cohort
Verified7Hispanic students achieved 55% 6-year graduation rate in public four-year bachelor's programs (2015 cohort)
Verified8White students had a 67% 6-year graduation rate at public four-year institutions (2015 cohort)
Verified9Asian students' 6-year rate was 77% in public four-year bachelor's programs (2015 cohort)
Directional10First-generation college students had a 27% 6-year graduation rate at four-year institutions (2015 cohort)
Single source11Continuing-generation students achieved 71% 6-year graduation rate at four-year schools (2015 cohort)
Verified12Pell Grant recipients had 54% 6-year graduation rate at public four-year institutions (2015 cohort)
Verified13Non-Pell students had 69% 6-year rate at public four-year bachelor's programs (2015 cohort)
Verified14150% normal time completion rate for bachelor's at public four-year was 38% for 2015 cohort
Directional15200% normal time completion rate was 63% for public four-year bachelor's (2015 cohort)
Single source16From 2010 to 2015 cohorts, 6-year graduation rates at four-year institutions improved by 2 percentage points
Verified17Private for-profit four-year institutions had 30% 6-year graduation rate for 2015 bachelor's cohort
Verified18In 2019-20, 59% of bachelor's degrees were awarded to women at four-year institutions
Verified19Men received 41% of bachelor's degrees in 2019-20
DirectionalGraduation and Completion Rates Interpretation
Despite the overall national graduation rate stubbornly hovering around the low-to-mid sixties, a closer look reveals a stark and sobering tale of persistent inequality, where your family's wealth, race, and academic legacy remain stubbornly powerful predictors of your likelihood to walk across that stage.
Trends and Projections
1Bachelor's degree attainment projected to reach 42% for 25-29 year olds by 2030
Verified2Undergraduate enrollment expected to decline 5% by 2030 due to demographics
Verified3STEM bachelor's degrees projected to grow 8% from 2021-2031
Verified4By 2031, 11.5 million job openings will require at least a bachelor's degree
Directional5Female bachelor's attainment for 25-29 year olds projected at 45% by 2030
Single sourceTrends and Projections Interpretation
We’re heading for a world where fewer students are enrolling but more are graduating, especially in STEM, as employers ramp up degree requirements—yet women are still on track to outpace men in earning their bachelor’s by 2030.
Sources & References
- Reference 1NCESnces.ed.govVisit source
- Reference 2OPENDOORSDATAopendoorsdata.orgVisit source
- Reference 3CENSUScensus.govVisit source
- Reference 4PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 5BLSbls.govVisit source
- Reference 6NACEWEBnaceweb.orgVisit source
- Reference 7NEWYORKFEDnewyorkfed.orgVisit source