Highest enrollment

Question:
Which colleges have the highest enrollment?

Response:

In fall 2021, the five institutions with the highest enrollment (including distance education as well as in-person enrollment) were

• Western Governors University (150,100 students);
• Southern New Hampshire University (145,500 students);
• Grand Canyon University (103,100 students);
• Liberty University (94,700 students); and
• The Pennsylvania State University (88,900 students).

Total enrollment of the 20 largest degree-granting postsecondary institutions: Fall 2021
Institution	State	Rank1	Total enrollment
Western Governors University	Utah	1	150,116
Southern New Hampshire University	New Hampshire	2	145,533
Grand Canyon University	Arizona	3	103,072
Liberty University	Virginia	4	94,709
The Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania	5	88,914
Ivy Tech Community College	Indiana	6	86,100
University of Phoenix, Arizona	Arizona	7	85,836
Arizona State University Campus Immersion	Arizona	8	77,881
Texas A & M University, College Station	Texas	9	72,530
University of Central Florida	Florida	10	70,310
Dallas College	Texas	11	69,171
Lone Star College System	Texas	12	68,653
Ohio State University, Main Campus	Ohio	13	61,677
New York University	New York	14	58,226
Arizona State University Digital Immersion	Arizona	15	57,848
Florida International University	Florida	16	56,664
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign	Illinois	17	56,607
University of Florida	Florida	18	55,781
University of Maryland Global Campus	Maryland	19	55,323
University of Washington, Seattle Campus	Washington	20	52,434

¹ College and university campuses ranked by fall 2021 enrollment data.
NOTE: Degree-granting institutions grant associate's or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Institutions may report their enrollment by campus or by system. Includes enrollment in online and distance education.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Table 312.10. Total enrollment and enrollment in exclusively distance education courses of the 120 largest degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by selected characteristics and institution: Fall 2021 [Data table]. In Digest of education statistics. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 3, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_312.10.asp.

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2023, Digest of Education Statistics 2022, Table 317.40. Number of degree-granting postsecondary institutions and enrollment, by enrollment size, control, and classification of institution: Fall 2021
  
• 2022, Digest of Education Statistics 2021, Table 312.20. Enrollment, degrees/certificates conferred, and total expenditures of degree-granting postsecondary institutions enrolling more than 15,000 students in 2020, by selected characteristics and institution: Selected years, 1990 through 2019-20
  

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2023, The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS): IPEDS is a system of surveys designed to collect data from all primary providers of postsecondary education.