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Digest of Education Statistics
2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 303.25. Total fall enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by control and level of institution: 1970 through 2014
Year All institutions Public institutions Private institutions
All private institutions Nonprofit For-profit
Total 4-year 2-year Total 4-year 2-year Total 4-year 2-year Total 4-year 2-year Total 4-year 2-year
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1970 8,580,887 6,261,502 2,319,385 6,428,134 4,232,722 2,195,412 2,152,753 2,028,780 123,973   2,134,420 2,021,121 113,299 18,333 7,659 10,674  
1971 8,948,644 6,369,355 2,579,289 6,804,309 4,346,990 2,457,319 2,144,335 2,022,365 121,970   2,121,913 2,011,682 110,231 22,422 10,683 11,739  
1972 9,214,860 6,458,674 2,756,186 7,070,635 4,429,696 2,640,939 2,144,225 2,028,978 115,247   2,123,245 2,019,380 103,865 20,980 9,598 11,382  
1973 9,602,123 6,590,023 3,012,100 7,419,516 4,529,895 2,889,621 2,182,607 2,060,128 122,479   2,148,784 2,045,804 102,980 33,823 14,324 19,499  
1974 10,223,729 6,819,735 3,403,994 7,988,500 4,703,018 3,285,482 2,235,229 2,116,717 118,512   2,200,963 2,098,599 102,364 34,266 18,118 16,148  
                                   
1975 11,184,859 7,214,740 3,970,119 8,834,508 4,998,142 3,836,366 2,350,351 2,216,598 133,753   2,311,448 2,198,451 112,997 38,903 18,147 20,756  
1976 11,012,137 7,128,816 3,883,321 8,653,477 4,901,691 3,751,786 2,358,660 2,227,125 131,535   2,314,298 2,206,457 107,841 44,362 20,668 23,694  
1977 11,285,787 7,242,845 4,042,942 8,846,993 4,945,224 3,901,769 2,438,794 2,297,621 141,173   2,386,652 2,277,072 109,580 52,142 20,549 31,593  
1978 11,260,092 7,231,625 4,028,467 8,785,893 4,912,203 3,873,690 2,474,199 2,319,422 154,777   2,408,331 2,299,132 109,199 65,868 20,290 45,578  
1979 11,569,899 7,353,233 4,216,666 9,036,822 4,980,012 4,056,810 2,533,077 2,373,221 159,856   2,461,773 2,351,364 110,409 71,304 21,857 49,447  
                                   
1980 12,096,895 7,570,608 4,526,287 9,457,394 5,128,612 4,328,782 2,639,501 2,441,996 197,505 1  2,527,787 2,413,693 114,094 111,714 28,303 83,411 1 
1981 12,371,672 7,655,461 4,716,211 9,647,032 5,166,324 4,480,708 2,724,640 2,489,137 235,503 1  2,572,405 2,453,239 119,166 152,235 35,898 116,337 1 
1982 12,425,780 7,654,074 4,771,706 9,696,087 5,176,434 4,519,653 2,729,693 2,477,640 252,053 1  2,552,739 2,437,763 114,976 176,954 39,877 137,077 1 
1983 12,464,661 7,741,195 4,723,466 9,682,734 5,223,404 4,459,330 2,781,927 2,517,791 264,136   2,589,187 2,472,894 116,293 192,740 44,897 147,843  
1984 12,241,940 7,711,167 4,530,773 9,477,370 5,198,273 4,279,097 2,764,570 2,512,894 251,676   2,574,419 2,466,172 108,247 190,151 46,722 143,429  
                                   
1985 12,247,055 7,715,978 4,531,077 9,479,273 5,209,540 4,269,733 2,767,782 2,506,438 261,344   2,571,791 2,463,000 108,791 195,991 43,438 152,553  
1986 12,503,511 7,823,963 4,679,548 9,713,893 5,300,202 4,413,691 2,789,618 2,523,761 265,857 2  2,572,479 2,470,981 101,498 217,139 52,780 164,359 2 
1987 12,766,642 7,990,420 4,776,222 9,973,254 5,432,200 4,541,054 2,793,388 2,558,220 235,168 2  2,602,350 2,512,248 90,102 191,038 45,972 145,066 2 
1988 13,055,337 8,180,182 4,875,155 10,161,388 5,545,901 4,615,487 2,893,949 2,634,281 259,668    
1989 13,538,560 8,387,671 5,150,889 10,577,963 5,694,303 4,883,660 2,960,597 2,693,368 267,229    
                                   
1990 13,818,637 8,578,554 5,240,083 10,844,717 5,848,242 4,996,475 2,973,920 2,730,312 243,608   2,760,227 2,671,069 89,158 213,693 59,243 154,450  
1991 14,358,953 8,707,053 5,651,900 11,309,563 5,904,748 5,404,815 3,049,390 2,802,305 247,085   2,819,041 2,729,752 89,289 230,349 72,553 157,796  
1992 14,487,359 8,764,969 5,722,390 11,384,567 5,900,012 5,484,555 3,102,792 2,864,957 237,835   2,872,523 2,789,235 83,288 230,269 75,722 154,547  
1993 14,304,803 8,738,936 5,565,867 11,189,088 5,851,760 5,337,328 3,115,715 2,887,176 228,539   2,888,897 2,802,540 86,357 226,818 84,636 142,182  
1994 14,278,790 8,749,080 5,529,710 11,133,680 5,825,213 5,308,467 3,145,110 2,923,867 221,243   2,910,107 2,824,500 85,607 235,003 99,367 135,636  
                                   
1995 14,261,781 8,769,252 5,492,529 11,092,374 5,814,545 5,277,829 3,169,407 2,954,707 214,700   2,929,044 2,853,890 75,154 240,363 100,817 139,546  
1996 14,367,520 8,804,193 5,563,327 11,120,499 5,806,036 5,314,463 3,247,021 2,998,157 248,864   2,942,556 2,867,181 75,375 304,465 130,976 173,489  
1997 14,502,334 8,896,765 5,605,569 11,196,119 5,835,433 5,360,686 3,306,215 3,061,332 244,883   2,977,614 2,905,820 71,794 328,601 155,512 173,089  
1998 14,506,967 9,017,653 5,489,314 11,137,769 5,891,806 5,245,963 3,369,198 3,125,847 243,351   3,004,925 2,939,055 65,870 364,273 186,792 177,481  
1999 14,849,691 9,196,160 5,653,531 11,375,739 5,977,678 5,398,061 3,473,952 3,218,482 255,470   3,055,029 2,991,728 63,301 418,923 226,754 192,169  
                                   
2000 15,312,289 9,363,858 5,948,431 11,752,786 6,055,398 5,697,388 3,559,503 3,308,460 251,043   3,109,419 3,050,575 58,844 450,084 257,885 192,199  
2001 15,927,987 9,677,408 6,250,579 12,233,156 6,236,455 5,996,701 3,694,831 3,440,953 253,878   3,167,330 3,119,781 47,549 527,501 321,172 206,329  
2002 16,611,711 10,082,332 6,529,379 12,751,993 6,481,613 6,270,380 3,859,718 3,600,719 258,999   3,265,476 3,218,389 47,087 594,242 382,330 211,912  
2003 16,911,481 10,417,247 6,494,234 12,858,698 6,649,441 6,209,257 4,052,783 3,767,806 284,977   3,341,048 3,297,180 43,868 711,735 470,626 241,109  
2004 17,272,044 10,726,181 6,545,863 12,980,112 6,736,536 6,243,576 4,291,932 3,989,645 302,287   3,411,685 3,369,435 42,250 880,247 620,210 260,037  
                                   
2005 17,487,475 10,999,420 6,488,055 13,021,834 6,837,605 6,184,229 4,465,641 4,161,815 303,826   3,454,692 3,411,170 43,522 1,010,949 750,645 260,304  
2006 17,758,870 11,240,330 6,518,540 13,180,133 6,955,013 6,225,120 4,578,737 4,285,317 293,420   3,512,866 3,473,710 39,156 1,065,871 811,607 254,264  
2007 18,248,128 11,630,198 6,617,930 13,490,780 7,166,661 6,324,119 4,757,348 4,463,537 293,811   3,571,150 3,537,664 33,486 1,186,198 925,873 260,325  
2008 19,102,814 12,131,436 6,971,378 13,972,153 7,331,809 6,640,344 5,130,661 4,799,627 331,034   3,661,519 3,626,168 35,351 1,469,142 1,173,459 295,683  
2009 20,313,594 12,791,012 7,522,582 14,810,768 7,709,198 7,101,570 5,502,826 5,081,814 421,012   3,767,672 3,732,900 34,772 1,735,154 1,348,914 386,240  
                                   
2010 21,019,438 13,335,841 7,683,597 15,142,171 7,924,108 7,218,063 5,877,267 5,411,733 465,534   3,854,482 3,821,799 32,683 2,022,785 1,589,934 432,851  
2011 21,010,590 13,499,440 7,511,150 15,116,303 8,048,145 7,068,158 5,894,287 5,451,295 442,992   3,926,819 3,886,964 39,855 1,967,468 1,564,331 403,137  
2012 20,644,478 13,476,638 7,167,840 14,884,667 8,092,602 6,792,065 5,759,811 5,384,036 375,775   3,951,388 3,913,690 37,698 1,808,423 1,470,346 338,077  
2013 20,375,789 13,407,050 6,968,739 14,745,558 8,120,417 6,625,141 5,630,231 5,286,633 343,598   3,974,004 3,941,806 32,198 1,656,227 1,344,827 311,400  
2014 20,207,369 13,492,884 6,714,485 14,655,015 8,257,250 6,397,765 5,552,354 5,235,634 316,720   3,996,089 3,965,724 30,365 1,556,265 1,269,910 286,355  
—Not available.
1 Large increases are due to the addition of schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology.
2 Because of imputation techniques, data are not consistent with figures for other years.
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. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Fall Enrollment in Institutions of Higher Education" surveys, 1970 through 1985; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:86-99); and IPEDS Spring 2001 through Spring 2015, Fall Enrollment component. (This table was prepared October 2015.)

2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest