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Digest of Education Statistics
2012 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 232. Total fall enrollment of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students in degree-granting institutions, by attendance status, sex of student, and level and control of institution: 1955 through 2011
Year Total Full- time Part- time Males Females 4-year 2-year
Total Full-
time
Part-
time
Total Full-
time
Part-
time
Public Private Public Private
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
19551 670,013 415,604 254,409 283,084 2  246,960 2  117,288 2  22,681 2 
19561 717,504 442,903 274,601 292,743 2  261,951 2  137,406 2  25,404 2 
19571 723,879 441,969 281,910 293,544 2  262,695 2  140,522 2  27,118 2 
19581 775,308 465,422 309,886 328,242 2  272,117 2  146,379 2  28,570 2 
19591 821,520 487,890 333,630 348,150 2  291,691 2  153,393 2  28,286 2 
                                   
19601 923,069 539,512 383,557 395,884 2  313,209 2  181,860 2  32,116 2 
19611 1,018,361 591,913 426,448 438,135 2  336,449 2  210,101 2  33,676 2 
19621 1,030,554 598,099 432,455 445,191 2  324,923 2  224,537 2  35,903 2 
19631 1,046,424 604,282 442,142        
19641 1,224,840 701,524 523,316 539,251 2  363,348 2  275,413 2  46,828 2 
                                   
19651 1,441,822 829,215 612,607 642,233 2  398,792 2  347,788 2  53,009 2 
1966 1,554,337 889,516 664,821 626,472 2  382,889 2  478,459 2  66,517 2 
1967 1,640,936 1,335,512 305,424 931,127 761,299 169,828 709,809 574,213 135,596 644,525   368,300   561,488   66,623  
1968 1,892,849 1,470,653 422,196 1,082,367 847,005 235,362 810,482 623,648 186,834 724,377   378,052   718,562   71,858  
1969 1,967,104 1,525,290 441,814 1,118,269 876,280 241,989 848,835 649,010 199,825 699,167   391,508   814,132   62,297  
                                   
1970 2,063,397 1,587,072 476,325 1,151,960 896,281 255,679 911,437 690,791 220,646 717,449   395,886   890,703   59,359  
1971 2,119,018 1,606,036 512,982 1,170,518 895,715 274,803 948,500 710,321 238,179 704,052   384,695   971,295   58,976  
1972 2,152,778 1,574,197 578,581 1,157,501 858,254 299,247 995,277 715,943 279,334 680,337   380,982   1,036,616   54,843  
1973 2,226,041 1,607,269 618,772 1,182,173 867,314 314,859 1,043,868 739,955 303,913 698,777   378,994   1,089,182   59,088  
1974 2,365,761 1,673,333 692,428 1,243,790 896,077 347,713 1,121,971 777,256 344,715 745,637   386,391   1,175,759   57,974  
                                   
1975 2,515,155 1,763,296 751,859 1,327,935 942,198 385,737 1,187,220 821,098 366,122 771,725   395,440   1,283,523   64,467  
1976 2,347,014 1,662,333 684,681 1,170,326 854,597 315,729 1,176,688 807,736 368,952 717,373   413,961   1,152,944   62,736  
1977 2,394,426 1,680,916 713,510 1,155,856 839,848 316,008 1,238,570 841,068 397,502 737,497   404,631   1,185,648   66,650  
1978 2,389,627 1,650,848 738,779 1,141,777 817,294 324,483 1,247,850 833,554 414,296 736,703   406,669   1,173,544   72,711  
1979 2,502,896 1,706,732 796,164 1,179,846 840,315 339,531 1,323,050 866,417 456,633 760,119   415,126   1,253,854   73,797  
                                   
1980 2,587,644 1,749,928 837,716 1,218,961 862,458 356,503 1,368,683 887,470 481,213 765,395   417,937   1,313,591   90,721 3 
1981 2,595,421 1,737,714 857,707 1,217,680 851,833 365,847 1,377,741 885,881 491,860 754,007   419,257   1,318,436   103,721 3 
1982 2,505,466 1,688,620 816,846 1,199,237 837,223 362,014 1,306,229 851,397 454,832 730,775   404,252   1,254,193   116,246 3 
1983 2,443,703 1,678,071 765,632 1,159,049 824,609 334,440 1,284,654 853,462 431,192 728,244   403,882   1,189,869   121,708  
1984 2,356,898 1,613,185 743,713 1,112,303 786,099 326,204 1,244,595 827,086 417,509 713,790   402,959   1,130,311   109,838  
                                   
1985 2,292,222 1,602,038 690,184 1,075,736 774,858 300,878 1,216,486 827,180 389,306 717,199   398,556   1,060,275   116,192  
1986 2,219,208 1,589,451 629,757 1,046,527 768,856 277,671 1,172,681 820,595 352,086 719,974   391,673   990,973   116,588  
1987 2,246,359 1,626,719 619,640 1,046,615 779,226 267,389 1,199,744 847,493 352,251 757,833   405,113   979,820   103,593  
1988 2,378,803 1,698,927 679,876 1,100,026 807,319 292,707 1,278,777 891,608 387,169 783,358   425,907   1,048,914   120,624  
1989 2,341,035 1,656,594 684,441 1,094,750 791,295 303,455 1,246,285 865,299 380,986 762,217   413,836   1,048,529   116,453  
                                   
1990 2,256,624 1,617,118 639,506 1,045,191 771,372 273,819 1,211,433 845,746 365,687 727,264   400,120   1,041,097   88,143  
1991 2,277,920 1,652,983 624,937 1,068,433 798,043 270,390 1,209,487 854,940 354,547 717,697   392,904   1,070,048   97,271  
1992 2,184,113 1,603,737 580,376 1,013,058 760,290 252,768 1,171,055 843,447 327,608 697,393   408,306   993,074   85,340  
1993 2,160,710 1,608,274 552,436 1,007,647 762,240 245,407 1,153,063 846,034 307,029 702,273   410,688   973,545   74,204  
1994 2,133,205 1,603,106 530,099 984,558 751,081 233,477 1,148,647 852,025 296,622 709,042   405,917   952,468   65,778  
                                   
1995 2,168,831 1,646,812 522,019 1,001,052 767,185 233,867 1,167,779 879,627 288,152 731,836   419,025   954,595   63,375  
1996 2,274,319 1,739,852 534,467 1,046,662 805,982 240,680 1,227,657 933,870 293,787 741,164   427,442   989,536   116,177  
1997 2,219,255 1,733,512 485,743 1,026,058 806,054 220,004 1,193,197 927,458 265,739 755,362   442,397   923,954   97,542  
1998 2,212,593 1,775,412 437,181 1,022,656 825,577 197,079 1,189,937 949,835 240,102 792,772   460,948   858,417   100,456  
1999 2,357,590 1,849,741 507,849 1,094,539 865,545 228,994 1,263,051 984,196 278,855 819,503   474,223   955,499   108,365  
                                   
2000 2,427,551 1,918,093 509,458 1,123,948 894,432 229,516 1,303,603 1,023,661 279,942 842,228   498,532   952,175   134,616  
2001 2,497,078 1,989,179 507,899 1,152,837 926,393 226,444 1,344,241 1,062,786 281,455 866,619   508,030   988,726   133,703  
2002 2,570,611 2,053,065 517,546 1,170,609 945,938 224,671 1,400,002 1,107,127 292,875 886,297   517,621   1,037,267   129,426  
2003 2,591,754 2,102,394 489,360 1,175,856 965,075 210,781 1,415,898 1,137,319 278,579 918,602   537,726   1,004,428   130,998  
2004 2,630,243 2,147,546 482,697 1,190,268 981,591 208,677 1,439,975 1,165,955 274,020 925,249   562,485   1,009,082   133,427  
                                   
2005 2,657,338 2,189,884 467,454 1,200,055 995,610 204,445 1,457,283 1,194,274 263,009 953,903   606,712   977,224   119,499  
2006 2,707,213 2,219,853 487,360 1,228,665 1,015,585 213,080 1,478,548 1,204,268 274,280 990,262   598,412   1,013,080   105,459  
2007 2,776,168 2,293,855 482,313 1,267,030 1,052,600 214,430 1,509,138 1,241,255 267,883 1,023,543   633,296   1,016,262   103,067  
2008 3,024,723 2,427,740 596,983 1,389,302 1,115,500 273,802 1,635,421 1,312,240 323,181 1,053,838   673,581   1,186,576   110,728  
2009 3,210,237 2,586,840 623,397 1,479,801 1,192,553 287,248 1,730,436 1,394,287 336,149 1,090,769   713,284   1,275,630   130,554  
                                   
2010 3,156,949 2,532,858 624,091 1,461,707 1,171,619 290,088 1,695,242 1,361,239 334,003 1,110,675   676,027   1,236,477   133,770  
2011 3,093,077 2,479,137 613,940 1,424,596 1,140,566 284,030 1,668,481 1,338,571 329,910 1,131,807   656,938   1,195,286   109,046  
—Not available.
1 Excludes first-time degree/certificate-seeking students in occupational programs not creditable towards a bachelor's degree.
2 Data for 2-year branches of 4-year college systems are aggregated with the 4-year institutions.
3 Large increases are due to the addition of schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology.
NOTE: Data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Alaska and Hawaii are included in all years.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Biennial Survey of Education in the United States; Opening Fall Enrollment in Higher Education, 1963 through 1965; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Fall Enrollment in Colleges and Universities" surveys, 1966 through 1985; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:86-99); and IPEDS Spring 2001 through Spring 2012, Enrollment component. (This table was prepared September 2012.)

2012 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest