In 2024, U.S. college enrollment saw a positive turnaround. Spring 2024 undergraduate enrollment increased by 2.5%, with 359,000 more students joining campuses. The increase was notably strong in community colleges, which saw a 4.7% rise, adding 200,000 students.
Additionally, Graduate enrollment also showed an impressive 3.0% increase, surpassing undergraduate growth.
Freshman enrollment experienced a faster rise than the overall undergraduate trend, with the highest growth seen in community colleges and public, predominantly Black institutions (PABs). Community colleges reported a 6.2% increase in freshman enrollment, while public PABs saw an 11.0% jump.
This article explores the current state of college enrollments in the United States, including demographic breakdowns and additional insights into trends.
College Enrollment Statistics 2024 (Top Picks)
- The number of college students in the United States is estimated to reach 19.25 million in 2024.
- In Spring 2024, the college enrollment for undergraduate students increased by 359,000.
- In fall 2023, 18.1 million students were enrolled in colleges and universities.
- Around 15.2 million students enrolled in an undergraduate program, and around 3.1 million were enrolled in a graduate-level program.
- 13.14 million students were enrolled in public institutes, while 4.87 billion were enrolled in private institutes.
- 65% of the students who enrolled in Fall 2023 attended full-time college, while 35% attended part-time.
- Around 11.2 million college students, 60% of the total students enrolled in colleges in Fall 2023, were enrolled in at least one distance education course.
- 30% of the students enrolled in colleges in Fall 2023 were enrolled for exclusively online courses.
Note: Some students in fall 2023 were enrolled in both undergraduate and graduate-level programs.
General College Enrollment Statistics
- In Spring 2024, undergraduate enrollment increased by 2.5%, adding 359,000 students.
- Student enrollment grew across all sectors, with community colleges seeing the largest increase, adding 200,000 students, a 4.7% rise from Spring 2023.
- Freshman enrollment grew faster than overall undergraduate enrollment this spring, rising 3.9% compared to Spring 2023.
- 18.1 million students were enrolled in colleges in the US during the fall of 2023.
- 15.2 million students were enrolled in an undergraduate program in the fall of 2023.
- 19.25 million students are estimated to enroll in colleges in 2024. Of them, 73.19% of the students are estimated to enroll in public institutions.
Here is a table highlighting the total college enrollments by year:
| Year | Total Enrollment | % Public Institution Enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 * | 19,247,640 | 73.19% |
| 2023 * | 18,939,568 | 73.19% |
| 2022 | 18,580,026 | 72.63% |
| 2021 | 18,658,756 | 72.60% |
| 2020 | 19,027,410 | 72.97% |
| 2019 | 19,630,178 | 73.88% |
| 2018 | 19,651,412 | 73.99% |
| 2017 | 19,778,151 | 73.68% |
| 2016 | 19,846,904 | 73.49% |
| 2015 | 19,988,204 | 72.91% |
*-Projected Values
- Undergraduate enrollment increased by 1.2% in fall 2023, a jump of 176,000 compared to 2022.
- The enrollment in the first year of college grew only by 0.8% in fall 2023. That is just an increase of 18,000 in the enrollment rates.
- 19.25 million are estimated to enroll in public and private colleges in 2024.
- In 2022, 18.58 million students enrolled in public and private colleges in the United States.
- According to Statista, 20.3 million students in the United States were enrolled in undergraduate degrees in the academic year 2022-23.
This was a slight decrease from 20.4 million enrolled students in undergraduate courses in the academic year 2021-2022.
The following table displays the number of students enrolled in undergraduate colleges in the United States.
| Academic Year | Number Of Students Enrolled In College |
|---|---|
| 2022 -23 | 20.3 million |
| 2021 -22 | 20.4 million |
| 2020 -21 | 21 million |
| 2019 -20 | 21.8 million |
| 2018 -19 | 22.1 million |
| 2017 -18 | 22.2 million |
| 2016 -17 | 22.5 million |
| 2015 -16 | 22.8 million |
| 2014 -15 | 23.2 million |
Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Statista, NCES, Education Data.
College Enrollment By Institution Type
- Community colleges saw the largest increase in freshman enrollment in Spring 2024, rising by 6.2% or 14,000 students, while public PABs experienced an 11.0% increase, adding 5,000 students.
- 7.64 million students were enrolled in public four-year colleges in fall 2023, while 4.57 million were enrolled in public two-year colleges in 2023.
The following table displays the number of college enrollments recorded in different institutes in fall 2023.
| Institution Type | Estimated College Enrollment In Fall 2023 |
|---|---|
| Public Four-Year | 7,644,504 |
| Public Two Year | 4,566,605 |
| Private Non-Profit Four Year | 4,025,030 |
| Public PAB | 932,348 |
| Private For-profit Four-Year | 848,433 |
- The college enrollments in community colleges increased by 118,000, a jump of 2.6% in the enrollment rates in Fall 2023.
- The college enrollments at public 4-year institutions grew by 38,000, while those at private nonprofit 4-year institutions increased by 16,000. This was a 0.6% enrollment increase for public and private nonprofit 4-year institutions in Fall 2023.
- 14.09 million students are anticipated to enroll in public colleges in 2024, while 5.16 million are estimated to enroll in private colleges.
- 13.49 million students enrolled in Public college in 2022.
At the same time, 5.09 million students enrolled in private colleges during the same time.
The following table displays the number of students who enrolled in college over the past years and the projections for the upcoming years.
| Year | Public College Enrollments | Private College Enrollments |
|---|---|---|
| 2031* | 14.78 million | 5.45 million |
| 2030* | 14.74 million | 5.43 million |
| 2029* | 14.71 million | 5.42 million |
| 2028* | 14.68 million | 5.4 million |
| 2027* | 14.6 million | 5.36 million |
| 2026* | 14.49 million | 5.32 million |
| 2025* | 14.32 million | 5.25 million |
| 2024* | 14.09 million | 5.16 million |
| 2023* | 13.86 million | 5.08 million |
| 2022 | 13.49 million | 5.09 million |
| 2021 | 13.55 million | 5.11 million |
| 2020 | 13.88 million | 5.13 million |
*- Projected Values
- 5.02 million students are estimated to enroll in 2-year colleges, and 11.12 million students are estimated to enroll in 4-year colleges in 2024.
- 4.68 million students were enrolled in 2-year colleges in the United States in 2021, while 10.77 million were enrolled in 4-year colleges.
The following table displays the number of student enrolments in 2-year and 4-year colleges in the United States.
| Year | Number Of Student Enrolment In 2-year College | Number Of Student Enrolment In 4-year College |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,682,596 | 10,765,824 |
| 2022* | 4,928,107 | 10,942,155 |
| 2023* | 4,940,263 | 10,947,151 |
| 2024* | 5,023,322 | 11,121,439 |
| 2025* | 5,100,369 | 11,306,196 |
| 2026* | 5,153,776 | 11,449,193 |
| 2027* | 5,185,400 | 11,538,262 |
| 2028* | 5,205,126 | 11,583,270 |
| 2029* | 5,221,415 | 11,577,760 |
| 2030* | 5,236,645 | 11,553,481 |
| 2031* | 5,262,277 | 11,560,451 |
Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Statista, NCES.
College Enrollment By Attendance
- 65% of the students enrolled in colleges in fall 2023 were full-time, while 35% studied part-time.
- 9.97 million students are anticipated to be full-time students, while 6.18 students are anticipated to be part-time students in 2024.
- 9.5 million students were full-time students in undergraduate institutions, while 5.95 million were enrolled as part-time students in 2021.
The following table displays the number of full-time and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate courses over the years.
| Year | Full-time Students Enrolled | Part-time Students Enrolled |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 9,499,764 | 5,948,656 |
| 2022* | 9,824,676 | 6,045,586 |
| 2023* | 9,817,778 | 6,069,636 |
| 2024* | 9,968,471 | 6,176,290 |
| 2025* | 10,144,020 | 6,262,545 |
| 2026* | 10,281,018 | 6,321,951 |
| 2027* | 10,348,977 | 6,374,685 |
| 2028* | 10,364,852 | 6,423,544 |
| 2029* | 10,329,267 | 6,469,908 |
| 2030* | 10,276,428 | 6,513,698 |
| 2031* | 10,262,815 | 6,559,913 |
- 41% of the public 2-year undergraduate students participated exclusively in distance education courses.
- At the same time, 35% and 15% of 2-year undergraduate students in private nonprofit and private for-profit institutions studied exclusively in distance education courses.
- 71% of the undergraduate 4-year college students studying at private for-profit institutions studied exclusively in distance education courses.
- Meanwhile, 20% of undergraduate students at 4-year public institutes and another 20% of students in private nonprofit institutes studied in distance education courses.
Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, NCES, United States Census Bureau.
College Enrollment Demographics
- In 2024, 59.80% of college students in the United States are estimated to be between 18 and 24 years old.
Here is a table highlighting the estimated age of college-enrolled students in 2024.
| Age Group | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Under 18 | 7.36% |
| 18 and 19 | 23.06% |
| 20 and 21 | 20.95% |
| 22 to 24 | 15.79% |
| 25 to 29 | 12.46% |
| 30 to 34 | 7.15% |
| 35 years old and over | 13.11% |
| Age unknown | 0.11% |
- In fall 2023, undergraduate enrollment increased among all races except White and Native American students. They witnessed a decrease of 124,000 and 1,000 enrollments, respectively, compared to the previous year.
The following table displays the race/ ethnicity of the students enrolled in college in Fall 2023.
| Race | Undergraduate Enrollment | Graduate Enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| White | 6,182,988 | 1,270,826 |
| Hispanic | 2,788,609 | 286,406 |
| Black | 1,641,582 | 309,308 |
| Asian | 898,076 | 231,765 |
| Native American | 101,204 | 16,895 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 41,093 | 5,490 |
| Multiracial | 662,755 | 112,216 |
| International | 154,097 | 160,467 |
| Unknown or unreported | 2,777,636 | 709,501 |
- Female students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs in fall 2023 increased by 27,000, 0.3% compared to the previous year, while male enrollment grew by 64,000, a 1.1% increase from 2022.
- In 2024, 6.76 million male and 9.39 female students are estimated to enroll in undergraduate degree-granting post-secondary colleges.
- 6.53 million male students were enrolled in 2021, while the number of females enrolled in undergraduate degree-granting post-secondary colleges in the same year was 8.92 million.
The following table displays the number of male and female students enrolled in undergraduate degree-granting post-secondary colleges over the years.
| Year | Male Students Enrolled In Colleges | Female Students Enrolled In Colleges |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 6,525,438 | 8,922,982 |
| 2022* | 6,632,064 | 9,238,198 |
| 2023* | 6,634,653 | 9,252,761 |
| 2024* | 6,757,637 | 9,387,124 |
| 2025* | 6,886,041 | 9,520,524 |
| 2026* | 6,983,880 | 9,619,089 |
| 2027* | 7,048,212 | 9,675,450 |
| 2028* | 7,087,257 | 9,701,139 |
| 2029* | 7,100,793 | 9,698,382 |
| 2030* | 7,104,017 | 9,686,109 |
| 2031* | 7,122,212 | 9,700,516 |
- The number of college enrollments of American Indian/Alaska Natives decreased from 116,245 in 2019 to 107,013 in 2021.
- 60% of the Asian students aged 18 to 24 were enrolled in college in 2021.
At the same time, 38% of white students aged 18 to 24 were enrolled in college in 2021.
The following table displays the percentage of students aged 18 to 24 from different races enrolled in colleges.
| Race/ Ethnicity | Percentage Of 18 To 24 Years Enrolled In Colleges |
|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 28% |
| Asian | 60% |
| Black | 37% |
| Hispanic | 33% |
| Pacific Islander | 45% |
| White | 38% |
| Two or more races | 35% |
Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, NCES, Education Data
College Enrollment Statistics By Degree
- 4.25 million students were enrolled in associated degrees in the United States in 2021. This was a decrease of 10.9% compared to 2020.
- Enrollment in associate community colleges decreased by 9.5% in 2021.
- The enrollment rate at community colleges for associated degrees declined by 65%.
- The college enrollment for visual and performing arts associate degrees declined by 18.1%
- The bachelor’s degree enrollment rates declined by 2.2% in 2021.
- Most majors in the bachelor’s degree witnessed a decline of 5%.
- The psychology field witnessed the highest increase in college enrollment in 2021. The enrollments grew by 4.8% compared to 2020.
- The enrollment rate for the master’s degree increased by 7.4% in 2021.
- The doctoral degree witnessed an increase of 3.6% in the college enrollments.
- 124,000 more students enrolled in graduate colleges in the United States in 2021. This was an increase of 4.6% from the previous year.
- College enrollments for Education doctoral degree programs increased by 4.6% in 2021.
- 4.49 million students graduated in 2021; of them, 26.3% were enrolled in associate degrees, 48.6% in bachelor degrees, 20.3% in masters degrees, and 4.6% in doctorates of professional degrees.
Source: Research.com
College Enrollment Statistics By State
- California State had the highest number of college enrollments in the United States in 2020, with 2.58 million.
Comparatively, Texas had the second-highest college enrollment in the United States, with 1.60 million students enrolled in the year.
The following table displays the states with the highest college enrollment in the United States.
| States | Number Of College Enrollments In 2020 |
|---|---|
| California | 2,579,991 |
| Texas | 1,601,399 |
| New York | 1,182,412 |
| Florida | 1,027,331 |
| Illinois | 681,988 |
| Pennsylvania | 667,515 |
| Ohio | 654,555 |
| Arizona | 600,103 |
| North Carolina | 557,673 |
| Virginia | 555,755 |
- Alaska had the lowest number of college enrollments in the United States, with just 22,106 in 2020.
At the same time, Wyoming and Vermont witnessed the second and the thirst lowest college enrolment of 30,943 and 39,646, respectively, in 2023.
The following table displays the states with the lowest college enrollments recorded in 2020.
| States | Number Of College Enrollments In 2020 |
|---|---|
| Alaska | 22,106 |
| Wyoming | 30,943 |
| Vermont | 39,646 |
| Montana | 45,461 |
| South Dakota | 50,849 |
| North Dakota | 51,308 |
| Delaware | 58,678 |
| Hawaii | 59,693 |
| Maine | 69,838 |
| Rhode Island | 77,087 |
Source: Education data.
International Student Enrollment Statistics
- 858,365 international students enrolled in colleges in the United States in the academic year 2022-23.
- Comparatively,763,750 International students enrolled in colleges in the academic year 2021- 22.
- The enrollment of international students in US colleges increased by 14% in the academic year 2022-23.
- The second highest number of international students who enrolled in US colleges in 2022-23 were from India.
268,923 college students in the US were from India. This was an increase of 35% compared to that recorded in 2021-2022.
- 27% of the international students enrolled in US colleges were from China, while 25% were from India.
Here are further details about the number and percentage share of International students enrolled in US colleges in the academic year 2022-23.
| Country | Number Of International Students | Percentage Share Of International Students Enrolled In US |
|---|---|---|
| China | 289,526 | 27% |
| India | 268,923 | 25% |
| South Korea | 43,847 | 4% |
| Canada | 27,876 | 3% |
| Vietnam | 21,900 | 2% |
| Taiwan | 21,834 | 2% |
| Nigeria | 17,640 | 2% |
| Japan | 16,054 | 2% |
| Others | – | 33% |
- 17,640 international students who enrolled in colleges in the academic year 2022-23 were from Nigeria, while 6,468 were from Ghana.
Other counties from the African region that had a strong enrollment rate in US colleges in the academic year 2022-23 are as follows:
- Kenya: 4,059 students
- Ethiopia: 3,006 students
- South Africa: 2,713 students
- In 2022, 324,196 active students enrolled in US colleges were from China, while 297,151 were from India.
The following table displays the active student count of international students enrolled in US colleges from different countries in 2022.
| Country | Number Of Active Students In 2022 |
|---|---|
| China | 324,196 |
| India | 297,151 |
| South Korea | 62,617 |
| Canada | 41,392 |
| Brazil | 37,904 |
| Vietnam | 29,742 |
| Japan | 26,519 |
| Taiwan | 26,225 |
| Saudi Arabia | 24,485 |
| Nigeria | 22,935 |
- In 2022, Computer Science was the most popular major among the international students enrolled in the US. 91,083 international students were enrolled in the computer science major in that year.
Here are further details about the most popular Primary majors among international students in US colleges.
- Computer Science: 91,083
- Second language learning (Excludes English): 89,266
- Business administration and management:81,797
- Computer and Information Sciences: 63,955
- Electrical and electronic engineering: 37,809
- Mechanical engineering: 30,561
- Management Science: 29,182
- General studies: 25,824
- Econometrics and Quantitative Economics: 25,573
- Liberal Arts and Science/Liberal Studies: 24,421
Sources: US News, Inside High Ed, Boundless,
Conclusion: College Enrollment Is Expected To Cross 19 Million In 2024
In 2024, U.S. college enrollment has shown a strong recovery, especially in undergraduate and graduate sectors. Spring 2024 saw a 2.5% increase in undergraduate enrollment, signaling a positive shift from the pandemic’s lingering effects.
Freshman enrollment, in particular, has grown faster, with community colleges seeing a 6.2% increase and public, predominantly Black institutions (PABs) experiencing a significant 11.0% rise.
Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see whether total enrollment surpasses 19 million, as predicted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), or if we see a decline, as some experts caution.
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