Remember when college campuses bustled with over 21 million students? Today, that number has plummeted to 15.9 million, signaling a profound and ongoing transformation in who is pursuing higher education.
Key Takeaways
- In fall 2021, total undergraduate enrollment in U.S. degree-granting postsecondary institutions was 12.0 million students
- In fall 2022, enrollment in public 4-year institutions reached 6.2 million undergraduates
- Total postsecondary enrollment in the U.S. declined by 2.5% from 2019 to 2021, totaling 15.9 million in 2021
- Female students comprised 58% of total enrollment in 2021, totaling 9.2 million
- Black or African American undergraduate enrollment was 1.8 million in fall 2021
- Hispanic or Latino enrollment increased to 3.0 million undergraduates in 2021
- Public 4-year institutions enrolled 6.3 million undergraduates in fall 2022
- Community colleges (public 2-year) had 4.2 million students in fall 2022
- Private nonprofit 4-year enrollment was 3.5 million in 2021
- California had 2.8 million total postsecondary enrollment in 2021
- Texas postsecondary enrollment was 1.7 million students in fall 2021
- New York state college enrollment totaled 1.2 million in 2021
- Total U.S. college enrollment declined 6.6% from 2019 to 2022
- Undergraduate enrollment dropped 11% between 2019 and 2023 spring
- From 2010 to 2021, total enrollment fell from 21 million to 15.9 million
College enrollment has declined steadily for over a decade nationwide.
By Demographics
- Female students comprised 58% of total enrollment in 2021, totaling 9.2 million
- Black or African American undergraduate enrollment was 1.8 million in fall 2021
- Hispanic or Latino enrollment increased to 3.0 million undergraduates in 2021
- White non-Hispanic students made up 5.4 million undergraduates in 2021
- Asian/Pacific Islander enrollment was 0.9 million in postsecondary institutions in 2021
- Enrollment of students with disabilities was 20.8% of undergraduates in 2019-20
- First-generation college students enrolled at 4.1 million undergraduates in 2016
- Male enrollment was 5.7 million undergraduates in fall 2021
- Enrollment gap between females and males widened to 2.5 million in 2022
- Low-income students (Pell eligible) enrollment was 6.2 million in 2020-21
- High school graduates from low-income families had 52% enrollment rate in 2021
- Enrollment of American Indian/Alaska Native students was 0.1 million undergraduates
- Multiracial student enrollment grew to 0.7 million in 2021
- Age 25 and older nontraditional students enrolled at 3.9 million in 2018
- Female graduate enrollment was 1.7 million vs 1.3 million males in 2021
- Black graduate enrollment was 0.3 million in fall 2021
- Hispanic graduate students numbered 0.4 million in 2021
- Enrollment rate for recent high school graduates by race: 62% White, 59% Black in 2021
- LGBTQ+ student enrollment estimated at 10-15% of total, around 1.5-2.3 million in 2022
- Veteran student enrollment was 1.1 million in 2019
- Rural students enrollment rate was 47% compared to 66% urban in 2020
- Enrollment of English language learners was 1.2 million in postsecondary in 2016
- Family income over $100k had 75% enrollment rate for 18-24 year olds in 2021
- Enrollment of students identifying as Two or More Races doubled to 1.0 million from 2010-2021
- Female Black enrollment was 1.2 million undergraduates in 2021
By Demographics Interpretation
These numbers paint a vibrant, if stark, mosaic of modern higher education where women have decisively outpaced men, yet historic access gaps stubbornly linger, proving progress is a complex and uneven summit we're still climbing.
By Institution Type
- Public 4-year institutions enrolled 6.3 million undergraduates in fall 2022
- Community colleges (public 2-year) had 4.2 million students in fall 2022
- Private nonprofit 4-year enrollment was 3.5 million in 2021
- For-profit institutions enrollment declined to 0.6 million in fall 2021
- Enrollment in private for-profit 4-year schools was 0.3 million in 2021
- HBCUs enrolled 277,000 students in fall 2021
- Enrollment at Ivy League institutions totaled 94,000 undergraduates in 2022
- Community college enrollment fell 16% from 2019-2023
- Public 2-year institutions saw 5.7 million enrollment peak in 2010
- Private nonprofit 2-year enrollment was negligible at under 50,000 in 2021
- Tribal colleges enrolled 14,000 students in 2021
- Enrollment in online-only institutions grew to 2.8 million in 2022
- Research universities (R1) enrolled 4.1 million undergraduates in 2020
- Enrollment at liberal arts colleges (Baccalaureate) was 1.2 million in 2021
- Master's institutions enrolled 2.9 million students total in 2021
- Public university systems like University of California enrolled 295,000 in 2022
- Enrollment in religiously affiliated institutions was 1.1 million in private nonprofit sector 2021
- For-profit 2-year colleges had 0.2 million enrollment in 2021
- Enrollment at flagship state universities averaged 35,000 per institution in 2022
- Community college districts like California system enrolled 2.1 million in 2022
- Private research universities like NYU enrolled 58,000 total in 2023
- Enrollment in California public 4-year universities was 1.9 million system-wide wait no, UC/CSU total around 1 million, correction: CSU enrolled 484,000 in 2022
- HBCU enrollment specifically at Howard University was 10,000 in 2022
- Enrollment in Texas public universities system was 460,000 in 2022
By Institution Type Interpretation
While the Ivy League endures as the gilded frame of American higher education, the true picture—and the bulk of the canvas—is painted with the millions attending public universities and community colleges, where the real work of democratizing opportunity, however strained, is still being attempted.
By State/Region
- California had 2.8 million total postsecondary enrollment in 2021
- Texas postsecondary enrollment was 1.7 million students in fall 2021
- New York state college enrollment totaled 1.2 million in 2021
- Florida enrolled 1.1 million in degree-granting institutions in 2021
- Enrollment in Midwest region was 4.1 million in 2021
- Southern states accounted for 8.2 million postsecondary students in 2021
- Pennsylvania had 0.6 million college enrollees in fall 2021
- Illinois enrollment stood at 0.7 million in 2021
- Enrollment rate highest in Northeast at 45% for 18-24 year olds in 2021
- Washington state enrollment was 0.3 million in public 4-year alone in 2022
- Enrollment in Massachusetts was 0.4 million including privates like Harvard/MIT
- Midwest enrollment declined 5% from 2019-2021, totaling 4.0 million
- Arizona community colleges enrolled 300,000 in 2022
- Enrollment in Georgia postsecondary was 0.5 million in 2021
- West region enrollment was 3.9 million in 2021
- Ohio state enrollment totaled 0.6 million in degree-granting schools 2021
- Michigan postsecondary enrollment was 0.5 million in 2021
- North Carolina enrolled 0.5 million students in 2021
- Enrollment in rural areas by state varies, e.g., Vermont 70% enrollment rate
- New Jersey enrollment was 0.4 million in 2021
- Virginia public universities enrolled 240,000 in 2022
- Colorado postsecondary enrollment 0.4 million in 2021
- Enrollment declined most in New Mexico at 10% from 2019-2021
- Oregon state enrollment 0.2 million in 2021
- Indiana enrollment 0.4 million total postsecondary 2021
By State/Region Interpretation
While the Northeast boasts the highest enrollment rate, the raw Southern enrollment of 8.2 million students suggests that when it comes to filling seats, the South has clearly done its homework.
Total Enrollment
- In fall 2021, total undergraduate enrollment in U.S. degree-granting postsecondary institutions was 12.0 million students
- In fall 2022, enrollment in public 4-year institutions reached 6.2 million undergraduates
- Total postsecondary enrollment in the U.S. declined by 2.5% from 2019 to 2021, totaling 15.9 million in 2021
- Fall 2020 enrollment in degree-granting institutions was 18.0 million, down 3.0% from 2019
- In 2021, total enrollment in all postsecondary institutions including non-degree was approximately 19.2 million
- Undergraduate enrollment dropped to 12.5 million in fall 2021 from 13.9 million in 2019
- Total U.S. college enrollment peaked at 21.0 million in 2010
- In fall 2023 preliminary data shows 15.2 million in degree-granting institutions
- Enrollment in 2-year public colleges was 4.5 million in fall 2021
- Total female enrollment outnumbered males by 2.3 million in 2021
- In 2019, 39% of 18-24 year olds were enrolled in college, totaling about 8.8 million
- Postsecondary enrollment rate for recent high school graduates was 61.4% in 2021
- Total enrollment in for-profit institutions fell to 0.7 million in 2021
- In fall 2018, total enrollment was 18.2 million across all sectors
- Undergraduate part-time enrollment was 5.1 million in 2021
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment stood at 7.4 million in fall 2021
- Total enrollment in Title IV institutions was 16.1 million in 2022
- Enrollment in less-than-2-year institutions was 0.4 million in 2021
- In 2020, total college enrollment was 15.96 million, a 2.9% decline year-over-year
- Historical peak enrollment was 21.2 million in 2011
- Enrollment in public 2-year colleges dropped 12.3% from 2019 to 2022
- Total graduate enrollment was 3.0 million in fall 2021
- In 2022, 15.42 million students were enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions
- Enrollment in private nonprofit 4-year institutions was 3.4 million in 2021
- Total first-time freshman enrollment fell 15% from 2019 to 2022
- In fall 2023, preliminary total enrollment estimates are 15.1 million
- Undergraduate enrollment in 2023 spring term was 12.1 million
- Total enrollment rate for 18-21 year olds was 40.1% in 2021
- Enrollment in U.S. colleges from abroad was 1.1 million in 2019 pre-pandemic
- Total domestic enrollment excluding international was 17.9 million in 2019
- In fall 2016, enrollment reached 19.8 million including non-degree
Total Enrollment Interpretation
The data paints a clear picture: the once-booming college population is on a steady diet, with undergraduate numbers slimming down by over a million since 2019, suggesting that the traditional four-year campus experience is no longer the automatic meal ticket it once was.
Trends Over Time
- Total U.S. college enrollment declined 6.6% from 2019 to 2022
- Undergraduate enrollment dropped 11% between 2019 and 2023 spring
- From 2010 to 2021, total enrollment fell from 21 million to 15.9 million
- Female enrollment increased 25% from 2000 to 2010, then stabilized
- Black enrollment rose 40% from 2000-2010, then flatlined
- Community college enrollment peaked at 7.3 million in 2011, down 37% by 2022
- International student enrollment grew from 0.6 million in 2008 to 1.1 million in 2019, then dropped 20%
- Online enrollment surged 15% during pandemic, from 6 million to 7 million in 2020
- Enrollment rate for high school graduates fell from 66.2% in 2016 to 61.4% in 2021
- Part-time enrollment increased from 40% to 45% of undergraduates 2000-2020
- Graduate enrollment grew 50% from 2000 to 2020, reaching 3 million
- For-profit enrollment boomed from 0.2 to 2.4 million 2000-2011, then crashed to 0.7 million
- Enrollment of 25+ year olds rose 20% from 2010-2020 to 4.5 million
- Hispanic enrollment tripled from 1.0 to 3.0 million 2000-2021
- Overall enrollment projected to decline another 5% by 2030 to 14.5 million
- Freshman enrollment dropped 27% at private nonprofits from 2010-2022
- Public 4-year enrollment flat since 2015 at around 6.2 million
- Male enrollment declined 15% from 2010 peak
- Enrollment recovery post-pandemic: +1.2% in fall 2023
- From 1990 to 2010, total enrollment doubled from 12.2 to 21.0 million
- Pell grant recipients enrollment stable at 40% of undergraduates since 2015
- First-gen enrollment rate held at 50% of total undergraduates 2015-2021
- Regional trends: West enrollment up 10% 2010-2020, Midwest down 5%
- Disability enrollment doubled from 6.5% in 1996 to 20% in 2020
- Projections show undergraduate enrollment declining 8% by 2031
Trends Over Time Interpretation
Despite gathering momentum for greater diversity and access over two decades, American higher education is now facing a sobering contraction, as if the entire system collectively decided to audit its value proposition and a significant portion of the student body is still waiting for the grades to post.
Sources & References
- Reference 1NCESnces.ed.govVisit source
- Reference 2NSCInsci.orgVisit source
- Reference 3NSCRESEARCHCENTERnscresearchcenter.orgVisit source
- Reference 4INSIDEHIGHEREDinsidehighered.comVisit source
- Reference 5OPENDOORSDATAopendoorsdata.orgVisit source
- Reference 6PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 7GALLUPgallup.comVisit source
- Reference 8STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 9AACCaacc.nche.eduVisit source
- Reference 10CARNEGIECLASSIFICATIONScarnegieclassifications.acenet.eduVisit source
- Reference 11CARNEGIECLASSIFICATIONScarnegieclassifications.iu.eduVisit source
- Reference 12UNIVERSITYOFCALIFORNIAuniversityofcalifornia.eduVisit source
- Reference 13CHRONICLEchronicle.comVisit source
- Reference 14CCCCOcccco.eduVisit source
- Reference 15NYUnyu.eduVisit source
- Reference 16CALSTATEcalstate.eduVisit source
- Reference 17HOWARDhoward.eduVisit source
- Reference 18UTSAutsa.eduVisit source
- Reference 19SUNYsuny.eduVisit source
- Reference 20WSACwsac.wa.govVisit source
- Reference 21AZCCCDazcccd.eduVisit source
- Reference 22SCHEVschev.eduVisit source
- Reference 23NBERnber.orgVisit source