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Digest of Education Statistics
2018 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 318.40. Degrees/certificates conferred by postsecondary institutions, by control of institution and level of degree/certificate: 1970-71 through 2016-17
Year Public institutions Private institutions
Total Nonprofit For-profit
Certifi- cates below the asso- ciate's Asso-ciate's degrees Bache- lor's degrees Mas- ter's degrees Doctor's degrees1 Certifi- cates below the asso- ciate's Asso-ciate's degrees Bache- lor's degrees Mas- ter's degrees Doctor's degrees1 Certifi- cates below the asso- ciate's Asso-ciate's degrees Bache- lor's degrees Mas- ter's degrees Doctor's degrees1 Certifi- cates below the asso- ciate's Asso-ciate's degrees Bache- lor's degrees Mas- ter's degrees Doctor's degrees1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
1970-71 215,645 557,996 151,603 36,927 36,666   281,734 83,961 28,071
1971-72 255,218 599,615 167,075 40,297 36,796   287,658 90,126 30,909
1972-73 278,132 630,899 174,405 44,229 38,042   291,463 94,249 35,283
1973-74 303,188 651,544 184,632 45,018 40,736   294,232 97,442 37,573
1974-75 318,474 634,785 193,804 45,788 41,697   288,148 103,741 39,116
                                           
1975-76 345,006 635,161 206,298 47,517 46,448   290,585 111,179 43,490
1976-77 355,650 630,463 208,901 47,573 50,727   289,086 114,124 44,157
1977-78 358,874 627,903 202,099 47,553 53,372   293,301 115,888 44,792
1978-79 346,808 621,666 192,016 48,602 55,894   299,724 115,670 46,369
1979-80 344,536 624,084 187,499 48,550 56,374   305,333 117,697 47,081
                                           
1980-81 352,391 626,452 184,384 50,023 63,986 2 308,688 118,253 47,993
1981-82 366,732 636,475 182,295 50,500 67,794 2 316,523 120,152 47,338
1982-83 377,817 646,317 176,246 50,943 71,803 2 323,193 120,169 48,392
1983-84 379,249 646,013 170,693 50,727 72,991   328,296 120,448 50,072
1984-85 377,625 652,246 170,000 51,489 77,087   327,231 123,472 49,296
                                           
1985-86 369,052 658,586 169,903 51,001 76,995   329,237 125,947 49,279
1986-87 358,811 659,260 167,797 51,216 77,493   332,004 128,733 47,261
1987-88 354,180 658,491 173,778 51,641 80,905   336,338 132,005 47,498
1988-89 357,001 675,675 179,109 51,963 79,763   343,080 137,517 48,608
1989-90 375,635 700,015 186,104 53,451 79,467   351,329 144,048 50,057 42,497 344,569 142,681 49,655 36,970 6,760 1,367 402
                                           
1990-91 398,055 724,062 193,057 55,235 83,665   370,476 149,806 50,312 45,821 360,634 146,161 49,841 37,844 9,842 3,645 471
1991-92 420,265 759,475 203,398 56,186 83,966   377,078 154,691 53,368 45,700 370,718 153,291 52,830 38,266 6,360 1,400 538
1992-93 430,321 785,112 213,843 57,020 84,435   380,066 161,189 55,052 47,713 373,346 159,562 54,399 36,722 6,720 1,627 653
1993-94 444,373 789,148 221,428 58,366 86,259   380,127 171,609 54,270 48,493 371,561 168,718 53,502 37,766 8,566 2,891 768
1994-95 451,539 776,670 224,152 58,788 88,152   383,464 179,457 55,478 48,643 373,454 176,485 54,675 39,509 10,010 2,972 803
                                           
1995-96 307,358 454,291 774,070 227,179 59,398 313,311 100,925   390,722 185,001 56,109 34,259 50,678 379,916 181,142 55,506 279,052 50,247 10,806 3,859 603
1996-97 326,687 465,494 776,677 233,237 61,081 272,237 105,732   396,202 192,023 57,666 35,560 49,168 384,086 186,963 56,864 236,677 56,564 12,116 5,060 802
1997-98 305,910 455,084 784,296 235,922 60,948 246,571 103,471   400,110 200,115 57,787 32,166 47,625 386,455 194,048 57,089 214,405 55,846 13,655 6,067 698
1998-99 304,294 452,616 792,392 238,954 60,028 251,589 112,368   409,847 207,084 56,672 29,402 47,757 394,749 198,481 55,663 222,187 64,611 15,098 8,603 1,009
1999-2000 294,912 448,446 810,855 243,157 60,655 263,217 116,487   427,020 220,028 58,081 28,580 46,337 406,958 209,720 56,972 234,637 70,150 20,062 10,308 1,109
                                           
2000-01 309,624 456,487 812,438 246,054 60,820 242,879 122,378   431,733 227,448 58,765 29,336 45,711 408,701 215,815 57,722 213,543 76,667 23,032 11,633 1,043
2001-02 319,291 471,660 841,180 249,820 61,061 264,957 123,473   450,720 237,493 58,602 32,904 45,761 424,322 223,229 57,707 232,053 77,712 26,398 14,264 895
2002-03 355,727 498,279 875,596 265,643 61,611 290,698 135,737   473,215 253,056 59,968 36,926 46,183 442,060 238,069 58,894 253,772 89,554 31,155 14,987 1,074
2003-04 364,053 524,875 905,718 285,138 64,205 323,734 140,426   493,824 279,134 61,882 35,316 45,759 451,518 250,894 60,447 288,418 94,667 42,306 28,240 1,435
2004-05 370,683 547,519 932,443 291,505 67,511 340,190 149,141   506,821 288,646 66,876 35,968 45,344 457,963 253,564 65,278 304,222 103,797 48,858 35,082 1,598
                                           
2005-06 370,570 557,366 955,370 293,535 70,036 344,220 155,949   529,734 306,327 68,020 35,909 46,459 467,697 261,203 66,066 308,311 109,490 62,037 45,124 1,954
2006-07 389,244 566,219 975,903 292,073 73,087 339,071 161,397   548,826 318,630 71,607 34,195 43,790 478,053 267,694 69,241 304,876 117,607 70,773 50,936 2,366
2007-08 399,741 578,661 996,769 300,019 75,551 348,613 171,505   566,965 330,825 73,639 33,915 45,014 491,016 275,971 70,473 314,698 126,491 75,949 54,854 3,166
2008-09 428,849 596,391 1,020,521 308,215 77,270 375,771 190,852   580,878 353,867 77,294 31,939 46,930 496,353 290,401 73,583 343,832 143,922 84,525 63,466 3,711
2009-10 472,428 640,265 1,049,179 322,389 78,805 463,291 208,591   600,740 370,924 79,785 35,652 46,673 503,264 300,053 75,172 427,639 161,918 97,476 70,871 4,613
                                           
2010-11 519,711 696,884 1,088,722 339,420 82,013 510,766 246,622   627,331 391,502 81,814 36,534 51,967 512,821 313,317 76,595 474,232 194,655 114,510 78,185 5,219
2011-12 525,264 756,484 1,131,885 349,349 84,730 463,797 265,234   660,278 406,618 85,487 32,856 54,347 526,022 325,175 79,498 430,941 210,887 134,256 81,443 5,989
2012-13 545,446 772,978 1,163,616 346,751 86,411 421,768 234,449   676,765 404,967 88,615 30,913 55,651 535,958 327,013 81,543 390,855 178,798 140,807 77,954 7,072
2013-14 576,468 794,925 1,186,742 346,238 88,911 392,810 210,230   683,408 408,344 88,676 30,738 53,127 544,253 333,539 80,894 362,072 157,103 139,155 74,805 7,782
2014-15 602,904 822,218 1,209,464 351,216 90,252 358,242 192,123   685,505 407,588 88,296 46,090 58,613 553,543 336,181 80,093 312,152 133,510 131,962 71,407 8,203
                                           
2015-16 615,137 848,081 1,240,423 364,619 90,030 324,154 160,147   680,327 421,138 88,104 40,010 56,595 560,834 350,790 80,067 284,144 103,552 119,493 70,348 8,037
2016-17 630,101 861,859 1,275,756 374,387 91,532 314,839 143,790   680,276 430,297 89,820 35,176 56,563 566,379 360,352 81,545 279,663 87,227 113,897 69,945 8,275
—Not available.
1 Includes Ph.D., Ed.D., and comparable degrees at the doctoral level. Includes most degrees that were classified as first-professional prior to 2010-11, such as M.D., D.D.S., and law degrees.
2 Part of the increase is due to the addition of schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology.
NOTE: Data through 1990-91 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for postsecondary institutions that participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Data for associate's degrees and higher awards are for degree-granting institutions. 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), "Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred" surveys, 1970-71 through 1985-86; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Completions Survey" (IPEDS-C:87-99); and IPEDS Fall 2000 through Fall 2017, Completions component. (This table was prepared August 2018.)

2018 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest