Digest of Education Statistics: 2017
Digest of Education Statistics: 2017

NCES 2018-070
January 2018


Table 314.10. Total and full-time-equivalent (FTE) staff and FTE student/FTE staff ratios in postsecondary institutions participating in Title IV programs, by degree-granting status, control of institution, and primary occupation: Fall 1995, fall 2005, and fall 2016
Degree-granting status, control of institution, and primary occupation Fall 1995 Fall 2005 Fall 2016
Total Full-time-equivalent (FTE) Total Full-time-equivalent (FTE) Total Full-time-equivalent (FTE)
Number Per-cent Total FTE stu-dents per FTE staff Number Per-cent Total FTE stu-dents per FTE staff Number Per-cent Total FTE stu-dents per FTE staff
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
All postsecondary institutions 2,770,704 100.0 2,169,006 5.1 3,428,811 100.0 2,620,464 5.2 3,991,160 100.0 3,041,031 5.0
Faculty (instruction/research/
      public service)
988,441 35.7 716,460 15.4 1,314,506 38.3 898,004 15.1 1,581,424 39.6 1,082,481 14.1
Graduate assistants 219,218 7.9 73,073 150.6 317,146 9.2 105,715 128.5 376,043 9.4 125,348 121.7
Other staff 1,563,045 56.4 1,379,473 8.0 1,797,159 52.4 1,616,745 8.4 2,033,693 51.0 1,833,203 8.3
                         
Degree-granting institutions1                         
Total 2,662,075 100.0 2,088,272 4.9 3,379,087 100.0 2,579,605 5.1 3,926,580 100.0 2,991,513 5.0
Faculty (instruction/research/
      public service)
931,706 35.0 677,783 15.2 1,290,426 38.2 880,558 15.0 1,548,732 39.4 1,060,084 14.1
Graduate assistants 215,909 8.1 71,970 143.6 317,141 9.4 105,714 124.9 376,043 9.6 125,348 119.2
Other staff 1,514,460 56.9 1,338,519 7.7 1,771,520 52.4 1,593,333 8.3 2,001,805 51.0 1,806,082 8.3
                         
Public 1,865,930 100.0 1,440,315 5.4 2,267,687 100.0 1,708,805 5.5 2,577,303 100.0 1,947,599 5.4
Faculty (instruction/research/
       public service)
656,833 35.2 476,662 16.3 841,188 37.1 580,793 16.2 976,710 37.9 680,913 15.5
Graduate assistants 181,743 9.7 60,581 128.0 257,952 11.4 85,984 109.2 294,798 11.4 98,266 107.6
Other staff 1,027,354 55.1 903,072 8.6 1,168,547 51.5 1,042,028 9.0 1,305,795 50.7 1,168,420 9.0
                         
Private nonprofit 769,698 100.0 629,392 3.8 971,425 100.0 780,256 3.7 1,195,513 100.0 945,709 3.7
Faculty (instruction/research/
       public service)
260,900 33.9 193,204 12.4 361,523 37.2 258,380 11.3 476,973 39.9 335,034 10.3
Graduate assistants 33,129 4.3 11,043 216.5 59,061 6.1 19,687 148.0 80,874 6.8 26,958 128.1
Other staff 475,669 61.8 425,145 5.6 550,841 56.7 502,189 5.8 637,666 53.3 583,717 5.9
                         
Private for-profit 26,447 100.0 18,566 10.3 139,975 100.0 90,544 9.9 153,764 100.0 98,205 9.3
Faculty (instruction/research/
       public service)
13,973 52.8 7,918 24.2 87,715 62.7 41,384 21.7 95,049 61.8 44,137 20.6
Graduate assistants 1,037 3.9 346 555.4 128 0.1 43 21,034.9 371 0.2 124 7,368.7
Other staff 11,437 43.2 10,302 18.6 52,132 37.2 49,117 18.3 58,344 37.9 53,945 16.9
                         
Non-degree-granting institutions2                         
Total 108,629 100.0 80,734 8.3 49,724 100.0 40,859 9.4 64,580 100.0 49,518 6.5
Faculty (instruction/research/
      public service)
56,735 52.2 38,677 17.3 24,080 48.4 17,446 22.0 32,692 50.6 22,397 14.4
Graduate assistants 3,309 3.0 1,103 605.2 5 # 2 230,619.0 0 0.0 0
Other staff 48,585 44.7 40,954 16.3 25,639 51.6 23,412 16.4 31,888 49.4 27,121 11.9
                         
Public 31,327 100.0 22,819 8.3 23,594 100.0 18,904 3.7 23,180 100.0 16,545 4.6
Faculty (instruction/research/
       public service)
17,597 56.2 12,186 15.6 11,114 47.1 7,651 9.3 11,880 51.3 7,513 10.1
Graduate assistants 1,394 4.4 465 407.8 2 # 1 576,547.6 0 0.0 0
Other staff 12,336 39.4 10,168 18.6 12,478 52.9 11,253 6.3 11,300 48.7 9,032 8.4
                         
Private nonprofit 24,941 100.0 17,534 7.5 3,618 100.0 2,930 8.8 3,935 100.0 3,088 5.6
Faculty (instruction/research/
       public service)
12,705 50.9 8,097 16.3 1,768 48.9 1,347 19.3 1,757 44.7 1,227 14.0
Graduate assistants 494 2.0 165 802.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0
Other staff 11,742 47.1 9,272 14.2 1,850 51.1 1,583 16.4 2,178 55.3 1,861 9.2
                         
Private for-profit 52,361 100.0 40,381 8.6 22,512 100.0 19,025 15.1 37,465 100.0 29,885 7.7
Faculty (instruction/research/
       public service)
26,433 50.5 18,394 18.8 11,198 49.7 8,449 34.0 19,055 50.9 13,657 16.8
Graduate assistants 1,421 2.7 474 730.3 3 # 1 287,553.0 0 0.0 0
Other staff 24,507 46.8 21,514 16.1 11,311 50.2 10,576 27.2 18,410 49.1 16,228 14.1
†Not applicable.
#Rounds to zero.
1 Data for 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.
2 Data are for institutions that did not offer accredited 4-year or 2-year degree programs, but were participating in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Includes some institutions transitioning to higher level program offerings, though still classified at a lower level.
NOTE: Full-time-equivalent staff is the full-time staff, plus the full-time equivalent of the part-time staff. Data for 2016 include institutions with fewer than 15 full-time employees; these institutions did not report staff data prior to 2007. By definition, all graduate assistants are part time. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:95) and "Fall Staff Survey" (IPEDS-S:95); IPEDS Spring 2006 and Spring 2017, Fall Enrollment component; and IPEDS Spring 2006 and Spring 2017, Human Resources component, Fall Staff section. (This table was prepared December 2017.)