Digest of Education Statistics
2024 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 303.10.Total fall enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by attendance status, sex of student, and control of institution: Selected years, 1947 through 2023
YearTotal enrollmentAttendance statusSex of studentControl of institution
Full-timePart-timePercent part-timeMaleFemalePercent femalePublicPrivate
TotalNonprofitFor-profit
123456789101112
194712,338,226---------1,659,249678,97729.01,152,3771,185,849------
194812,403,396---------1,709,367694,02928.91,185,5881,217,808------
194912,444,900---------1,721,572723,32829.61,207,1511,237,749------
195012,281,298---------1,560,392720,90631.61,139,6991,141,599------
195112,101,962---------1,390,740711,22233.81,037,9381,064,024------

19521
2,134,242
---

---

---
1,380,357753,88535.31,101,2401,033,002
---

---
195312,231,054---------1,422,598808,45636.21,185,8761,045,178------
195412,446,693---------1,563,382883,31136.11,353,5311,093,162------
195512,653,034---------1,733,184919,85034.71,476,2821,176,752------
195612,918,212---------1,911,4581,006,75434.51,656,4021,261,810------

1957
3,323,783
---

---

---
2,170,7651,153,01834.71,972,6731,351,110
---

---
19593,639,8472,421,0161,218,831233.52,332,6171,307,23035.92,180,9821,458,865------
19614,145,0652,785,1331,359,932232.82,585,8211,559,24437.62,561,4471,583,618------
19634,779,6093,183,8331,595,776233.42,961,5401,818,06938.03,081,2791,698,330------
19645,280,0203,573,2381,706,782232.33,248,7132,031,30738.53,467,7081,812,312------

1965
5,920,8644,095,7281,825,136
2
30.83,630,0202,290,84438.73,969,5961,951,268
---

---
19666,389,8724,438,6061,951,266230.53,856,2162,533,65639.74,348,9172,040,955------
19676,911,7484,793,1282,118,620230.74,132,8002,778,94840.24,816,0282,095,7202,074,04121,679
19687,513,0915,210,1552,302,93630.74,477,6493,035,44240.45,430,6522,082,4392,061,21121,228
19698,004,6605,498,8832,505,77731.34,746,2013,258,45940.75,896,8682,107,7922,087,65320,139

1970
8,580,8875,816,2902,764,59732.25,043,6423,537,24541.26,428,1342,152,7532,134,42018,333
19718,948,6446,077,2322,871,41232.15,207,0043,741,64041.86,804,3092,144,3352,121,91322,422
19729,214,8606,072,3893,142,47134.15,238,7573,976,10343.17,070,6352,144,2252,123,24520,980
19739,602,1236,189,4933,412,63035.55,371,0524,231,07144.17,419,5162,182,6072,148,78433,823
197410,223,7296,370,2733,853,45637.75,622,4294,601,30045.07,988,5002,235,2292,200,96334,266

1975
11,184,8596,841,3344,343,52538.86,148,9975,035,86245.08,834,5082,350,3512,311,44838,903
197611,012,1376,717,0584,295,07939.05,810,8285,201,30947.28,653,4772,358,6602,314,29844,362
197711,285,7876,792,9254,492,86239.85,789,0165,496,77148.78,846,9932,438,7942,386,65252,142
197811,260,0926,667,6574,592,43540.85,640,9985,619,09449.98,785,8932,474,1992,408,33165,868
197911,569,8996,794,0394,775,86041.35,682,8775,887,02250.99,036,8222,533,0772,461,77371,304

1980
12,096,8957,097,9584,998,93741.35,874,3746,222,52151.49,457,3942,639,5012,527,787111,714
3
198112,371,6727,181,2505,190,42242.05,975,0566,396,61651.79,647,0322,724,6402,572,405152,2353
198212,425,7807,220,6185,205,16241.96,031,3846,394,39651.59,696,0872,729,6932,552,739176,9543
198312,464,6617,261,0505,203,61141.76,023,7256,440,93651.79,682,7342,781,9272,589,187192,740
198412,241,9407,098,3885,143,55242.05,863,5746,378,36652.19,477,3702,764,5702,574,419190,151

1985
12,247,0557,075,2215,171,83442.25,818,4506,428,60552.59,479,2732,767,7822,571,791195,991
198612,503,5117,119,5505,383,96143.15,884,5156,618,99652.99,713,8932,789,6182,572,479217,1394
198712,766,6427,231,0855,535,55743.45,932,0566,834,58653.59,973,2542,793,3882,602,350191,0384
198813,055,3377,436,7685,618,56943.06,001,8967,053,44154.010,161,3882,893,9492,673,567220,382
198913,538,5607,660,9505,877,61043.46,190,0157,348,54554.310,577,9632,960,5972,731,174229,423

1990
13,818,6377,820,9855,997,65243.46,283,9097,534,72854.510,844,7172,973,9202,760,227213,693
199114,358,9538,115,3296,243,62443.56,501,8447,857,10954.711,309,5633,049,3902,819,041230,349
199214,487,3598,162,1186,325,24143.76,523,9897,963,37055.011,384,5673,102,7922,872,523230,269
199314,304,8038,127,6186,177,18543.26,427,4507,877,35355.111,189,0883,115,7152,888,897226,818
199414,278,7908,137,7766,141,01443.06,371,8987,906,89255.411,133,6803,145,1102,910,107235,003

1995
14,261,7818,128,8026,132,97943.06,342,5397,919,24255.511,092,3743,169,4072,929,044240,363
199614,367,5208,302,9536,064,56742.26,352,8258,014,69555.811,120,4993,247,0212,942,556304,465
199714,502,3348,438,0626,064,27241.86,396,0288,106,30655.911,196,1193,306,2152,977,614328,601
199814,506,9678,563,3385,943,62941.06,369,2658,137,70256.111,137,7693,369,1983,004,925364,273
199914,849,6918,803,1396,046,55240.76,515,1648,334,52756.111,375,7393,473,9523,055,029418,923

2000
15,312,2899,009,6006,302,68941.26,721,7698,590,52056.111,752,7863,559,5033,109,419450,084
200115,927,9879,447,5026,480,48540.76,960,8158,967,17256.312,233,1563,694,8313,167,330527,501
200216,611,7119,946,3596,665,35240.17,202,1169,409,59556.612,751,9933,859,7183,265,476594,242
200316,911,48110,326,1336,585,34838.97,260,2649,651,21757.112,858,6984,052,7833,341,048711,735
200417,272,04410,610,1776,661,86738.67,387,2629,884,78257.212,980,1124,291,9323,411,685880,247

2005
17,487,47510,797,0116,690,46438.37,455,92510,031,55057.413,021,8344,465,6413,454,6921,010,949
200617,754,23010,957,5386,796,69238.37,572,26510,181,96557.313,175,3504,578,8803,512,9291,065,951
200718,258,13811,270,9296,987,20938.37,819,93810,438,20057.213,500,8944,757,2443,571,3951,185,849
200819,081,68611,734,6367,347,05038.58,177,71410,903,97257.113,970,8625,110,8243,660,8271,449,997
200920,313,59412,605,3557,708,23937.98,732,95311,580,64157.014,810,7685,502,8263,767,6721,735,154

2010
21,019,43813,087,1827,932,25637.79,045,75911,973,67957.015,142,1715,877,2673,854,4822,022,785
201121,010,59013,002,5318,008,05938.19,034,25611,976,33457.015,116,3035,894,2873,926,8191,967,468
201220,644,47812,734,4047,910,07438.38,919,00611,725,47256.814,884,6675,759,8113,951,3881,808,423
201320,376,67712,596,6107,780,06738.28,861,19711,515,48056.514,746,8485,629,8293,971,3901,658,439
201420,209,09212,454,4647,754,62838.48,797,53011,411,56256.514,654,6605,554,4323,997,2491,557,183

2015
19,988,20412,287,5127,700,69238.58,723,81911,264,38556.414,572,8435,415,3614,065,8911,349,470
201619,846,90412,125,3147,721,59038.98,638,42211,208,48256.514,585,8405,261,0644,078,9561,182,108
201719,778,15112,076,1417,702,01038.98,571,31411,206,83756.714,571,7395,206,4124,108,4891,097,923
201819,651,41211,989,5697,661,84339.08,444,61411,206,79857.014,539,2575,112,1554,131,846980,309
201919,630,17811,954,4137,675,76539.18,363,88911,266,28957.414,503,6475,126,5314,135,372991,159

2020
19,027,41011,609,4787,417,93239.07,885,03311,142,37758.613,884,4565,142,9544,101,0481,041,906
202118,658,75611,326,3437,332,41339.37,767,86610,890,89058.413,545,7025,113,0544,111,7991,001,255
202218,583,49711,287,3507,296,14739.37,818,31710,765,18057.913,495,6565,087,8414,109,771978,070
202319,039,58411,578,0217,461,56339.28,066,50010,973,08457.613,827,7745,211,8104,182,3571,029,453
---Not available.
1Degree-credit enrollment only.
2Includes part-time resident students and all extension students (students attending courses at sites separate from the primary reporting campus). In later years, part-time student enrollment was collected as a distinct category.
3Large increases are due to the addition of schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology.
4Because of imputation techniques, data are not consistent with figures for other years.
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education and U.S. service academies, while later data are for degree-granting institutions that participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs and U.S. service academies. Degree-granting institutions grant associate's or higher degrees. 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. Previous editions of this table included projections, which can be found at https://nces.ed.gov/programs/PES/current_tables.asp. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
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); IPEDS, Fall Enrollment component, Spring 2001 through Spring 2023 (final data) and Spring 2024 (provisional data). (This table was prepared December 2024.)

2024 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest