Participation in Education

Postsecondary Enrollment

Table A-10-3. Total undergraduate enrollment and percentage distribution of students in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and sex: Selected years, fall 1976–2010

Race/ethnicity and sex	Enrollment (in thousands)					Percentage distribution of students
Race/ethnicity and sex	1976	1980	1990	2000	2010	1976	1980	1990	2000	2010
Total	9,276	10,259	11,740	12,867	17,678	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
White	7,740	8,481	9,273	8,983	10,898	83.4	82.7	79.0	69.8	61.6
Black	943	1,019	1,147	1,549	2,677	10.2	9.9	9.8	12.0	15.1
Hispanic	353	433	725	1,351	2,544	3.8	4.2	6.2	10.5	14.4
Asian/Pacific Islander	169	249	500	846	1,088	1.8	2.4	4.3	6.6	6.2
Asian	—	—	—	—	1,030	—	—	—	—	5.8
Pacific Islander	—	—	—	—	58	—	—	—	—	0.3
American Indian/Alaska Native	70	78	95	139	179	0.8	0.8	0.8	1.1	1.0
Two or more races	—	—	—	—	294	—	—	—	—	1.7

Male	4,800	4,858	5,254	5,628	7,633	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
White	4,052	4,055	4,184	4,010	4,862	84.4	83.5	79.6	71.3	63.7
Black	431	428	448	577	983	9.0	8.8	8.5	10.3	12.9
Hispanic	192	211	327	583	1,080	4.0	4.3	6.2	10.4	14.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	91	129	254	402	514	1.9	2.6	4.8	7.1	6.7
Asian	—	—	—	—	488	—	—	—	—	6.4
Pacific Islander	—	—	—	—	26	—	—	—	—	0.3
American Indian/Alaska Native	35	35	40	56	72	0.7	0.7	0.8	1.0	0.9
Two or more races	—	—	—	—	122	—	—	—	—	1.6

Female	4,475	5,402	6,487	7,239	10,045	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
White	3,688	4,426	5,088	4,973	6,036	82.4	81.9	78.4	68.7	60.1
Black	513	591	699	972	1,694	11.5	10.9	10.8	13.4	16.9
Hispanic	161	222	398	768	1,464	3.6	4.1	6.1	10.6	14.6
Asian/Pacific Islander	78	120	246	444	574	1.7	2.2	3.8	6.1	5.7
Asian	—	—	—	—	543	—	—	—	—	5.4
Pacific Islander	—	—	—	—	32	—	—	—	—	0.3
American Indian/Alaska Native	35	43	56	82	107	0.8	0.8	0.9	1.1	1.1
Two or more races	—	—	—	—	171	—	—	—	—	1.7

— Not available.

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Because of underreporting and nonreporting of racial/ethnic data and nonresident aliens, some estimates are slightly lower than corresponding data in other published tables. For more information on race/ethnicity or the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), see Appendix C – Commonly Used Measures. Data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. For more information on the classification of postsecondary education institutions, see Appendix B – Guide to Sources. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), Fall Enrollment in Colleges and Universities" surveys, 1976 and 1980; and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:90), and Spring 2001 and Spring 2011, Enrollment component.

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