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Education Statistics Quarterly
Vol 2, Issue 1, Topic: Postsecondary Education
Fall Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions: 1997
By: Samuel Barbett
 
This article was originally published as the Executive Summary of the E.D. Tabs report of the same name. The universe data are from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF).
 
 

This report presents detailed tabulations of student enrollment in postsecondary education institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia for fall 1997. It focuses primarily on degree-granting institutions that are eligible for Title IV federal financial aid, although summary data are also presented for non-degree-granting eligible institutions.1 Data for this report are taken from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF) of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

This is the second year that NCES has used Title IV eligibility and degree-granting status to operationally define a higher education institution. Prior to 1996, higher education institutions were defined as postsecondary institutions that were accredited at the college level by an agency recognized by the Secretary, U.S. Department of Education. This change from reporting on higher education institutions as defined by accreditation status to reporting on them as defined by Title IV eligibility and degree-granting status was necessary because the Department of Education no longer distinguishes among institutions based upon accreditation status. Thus, it is no longer possible for NCES to obtain updated lists of "higher education" institutions as defined in previous reports. In lieu of this designation, NCES has identified subsets of postsecondary institutions on the basis of whether or not they are eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs because Title IV eligibility has implications for reporting and is of particular policy interest.2 Institutions are further subdivided by whether or not they grant degrees, information that is available directly from IPEDS data.3


In the fall of 1997, 14.9 million students were enrolled in the 6,252 postsecondary institutions that were eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs (table A). Of these, 97.3 percent were enrolled in institutions that awarded at least an associate's degree. Over three-fourths of all students were enrolled in public institutions, of which 98.5 percent attended degree-granting institutions and 1.5 percent were enrolled in non-degree-granting institutions.

About 21 percent of students in eligible degree-granting institutions were enrolled in private non-profit schools, and about 2 percent were in private for-profit schools. Of those students enrolled in non-degree-granting institutions, 48 percent were enrolled in private for-profit institutions.

About 3 percent of students enrolled in eligible post-secondary institutions were nonresident aliens (individuals who are in the United States on temporary visas). Of the citizens and resident aliens enrolled in eligible post-secondary institutions, 72.8 percent were white; 11.3 percent were black, non-Hispanic; 8.8 percent were Hispanic; 6.1 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander; and 1.0 percent were American Indian/Alaska Native. As shown by the racial/ethnic distribution of U.S. citizens and resident aliens in table B, minority4 students represented a higher proportion of the enrollment at non-degree-granting postsecondary institutions than at degree-granting institutions.

The distribution of students by racial/ethnic background varied considerably by level, participation status, and type of institution. For example, blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians/Alaska Natives comprised a higher percentage of undergraduate enrollment than graduate or first-professional enrollments. Further, a higher percentage of blacks and whites were enrolled as first-time, first-year students than at the total undergraduate level. Asians/Pacific Islanders, on the other hand, comprised 11.0 percent of all first-professional students, but only 6.0 percent of undergraduate and 4.7 percent of graduate students.

Table A.—Total enrollment in Title IV eligible postsecondary institutions, by degree-granting status, control, and level of institution: 50 states and the District of Columbia, fall 1997

Table A.- Total enrollment in Title IV eligible postsecondary institutions, by degree-granting status, control, and level of institution: 50 states and the District of Columbia, fall 1997

†Not applicable; all less-than-2-year-institutions are non-degree-granting.

NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not add to 100.0 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1997 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:1997).

Table B.—Total enrollment in Title IV eligible postsecondary institutions, by degree-granting status of institution and residency status and race/ethnicity of student: 50 states and the District of Columbia, fall 1997

Table B.- Total enrollment in Title IV eligible postsecondary institutions, by degree-granting status of institution and residency status and race/ethnicity of student: 50 states and the District of Columbia, fall 1997

NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not add to 100.0 percent.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1997 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:1997).

In 1997, a larger percentage of all students in degree-granting institutions (55.9 percent) were women. Similarly, the majority of undergraduate (56.1 percent) and graduate (56.8 percent) students were women (table C). However, women made up only 43.1 percent of first-professional students. Within each of the racial/ethnic groups, women composed the majority of all undergraduates as well as first-time, first-year undergraduates. Similarly, at the postbaccalaureate level, women made up over half of the graduate students in each racial/ethnic category, although Asian women were a bare majority, comprising 50.7 percent of all Asian graduate students. It is also notable that more than two-thirds of all black graduate students were women. However, at the first-professional level, the picture is quite different for all racial/ethnic groups except blacks. While women accounted for just 41.4 percent of white first-professional students, 46.5 percent of Asian students, 44.9 percent of Hispanic students, and 46.2 percent of American Indians, they accounted for 56.9 percent of black first-professional students.

Most students (58.2 percent) were enrolled on a full-time basis (table D). Hispanic students, however, were more likely to enroll part time than whites or other minorities: about half (49.6 percent) of all Hispanic students attended school part time. However, at the first-professional and graduate levels, Hispanic students were more likely to enroll on a full-time basis than black or white students. Asian/Pacific Islander students were more likely than students of any other racial/ethnic group to attend full time at both the undergraduate (61.0 percent) and graduate levels (51.0 percent).

Table C.—Percentage distribution of racial/ethnic enrollment in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by sex and student level: 50 states and the District of Columbia, fall 1997

Table C.- Percentage distribution of racial/ethnic enrollment in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by sex and student level: 50 states and the District of Columbia, fall 1997

NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not add to 100.0 percent.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1997 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:1997).

Hispanics and American Indians/Alaska Natives were a smaller percentage of 4-year college enrollment and a larger percentage of 2-year college enrollment than might be expected from the overall distribution of enrolled students by race/ethnicity. Additionally, blacks and Hispanics made up almost 30 percent of the total enrollment in for-profit, eligible, degree-granting institutions compared with about 15 percent of the enrollment in private non-profit institutions and 20 percent of the enrollment in public institutions. Although non-degree-granting institutions enrolled only 2.7 percent of all students attending eligible postsecondary institutions, they enrolled a higher percentage of black (4.9 percent) and Hispanic (4.5 percent) students.

Data on median age (table E) show that in addition to undergraduates being youngest overall, first-professional students are younger than graduate students. Indeed, in fall 1997, 64 percent of undergraduates were under 25, with a median age of 21.8. In comparison, 37.3 percent of first-professional students were under 25 (with a median age of 26.2), and 15.3 percent of graduate students were under 25 (with a median age of 30.6).

Table D.—Percentage distribution of racial/ethnic enrollment in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by attendance status and student level: 50 states and the District of Columbia, fall 1997

Table D.- Percentage distribution of racial/ethnic enrollment in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by attendance status and student level: 50 states and the District of Columbia, fall 1997

NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not add to 100.0 percent.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1997 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:1997).

Table E.—Median age of enrolled students and the percent of enrolled students who are under 25 in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by student level, attendance status, and sex: 50 states and the District of Columbia, fall 1997

Table E.- Median age of enrolled students and the percent of enrolled students who are under 25 in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by student level, attendance status, and sex: 50 states and the District of Columbia, fall 1997

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1997 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:1997).

Among undergraduate students, full-time students were significantly younger than part-time students. About 82 percent of full-time undergraduates were under 25 compared with 38 percent of part-time undergraduates, and there was a differential in median age of almost 8 years between full-time and part-time undergraduates. The median age of a full-time undergraduate in 1997 was 20.4 while the median age of a part-time undergraduate was 28.0.

Women undergraduates, overall, were slightly older than men undergraduates, by about half a year, on average. The greatest difference in age between men and women under-graduates was evidenced among part-time students, with women being approximately 2 years older than their male counterparts. Interestingly, women first-professional students were slightly younger (median age 25.6), on average, than their male counterparts (median age 26.5), while women graduate students were slightly older (median age 30.9) than men graduate students (median age 30.2).

Fall 1997 enrollment data tend to confirm the notion that 2-year institutions serve an older population than 4-year schools. The median age of 4-year undergraduates in 1997 was 21, while the median age of 2-year college students was 24.

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Between 1996 and 1997, enrollment in higher education institutions increased by 0.9 percent. This change was driven almost entirely by an increase in the number of full-time students. When broken down by race and ethnicity, the increase was largely due to a change in minority enrollments. There was no measurable change in the number of white students or the number of part-time students, and the number of nonresident aliens decreased by less than .3 percent. The numbers of both men and women increased, but women had a higher percentage increase than men (a 1.1 percent increase vs. a .7 percent increase).

This general pattern of change was somewhat different in each institutional sector. Enrollments increased in 4-year public institutions by .5 percent, although there were decreases in the numbers of whites, males, and part-time students and increases in the numbers of all other students. In 4-year private institutions, enrollments of all types of students increased, although the percentage increase in 4-year private for-profit institutions was sub-stantially higher than in private non-profit institutions. The overall increase in enrollment in 4-year private non-profit institutions was 1.3 percent while the overall increase in 4-year private for-profit institutions was 18.7 percent.

Overall, there was also an increase in the numbers of students attending 2-year institutions due totally to increases at public 2-year institutions. In private non-profit and private for-profit 2-year institutions, total enrollment declined between 1996 and 1997. The numbers of white students and nonresident aliens declined overall, while the numbers of all other students increased. In private non-profit institutions, smaller numbers of whites, blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, and nonresident aliens resulted in an overall 4.8 percent decrease in the number of students enrolled. In private for-profit institutions, decreases in the numbers of whites, Asians or Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Alaska Natives were largely offset by increases in the numbers of blacks and Hispanics, and a 50 percent increase in nonresident alien enrollment.

The increase in enrollment between 1996 and 1997 occurred at undergraduate and graduate student levels although at different rates. Undergraduate enrollment increased by 1.0 percent and graduate enrollment increased by .6 percent, while enrollment in first-professional schools did not change. Among undergraduates, there were increased numbers of men and women, full- and part-time students, and U.S. citizens and resident aliens (all races), although there were substantial differences in the rates of increases. Only the number of non-resident aliens decreased.

The overall static level of enrollment in first-professional schools does not reflect the detailed changes. The number of whites, blacks, and Hispanics decreased while the number of Asians/Pacific Islanders and American Indians/Alaska Natives increased. The number of women enrolled at the first-professional level increased by 2.4 percent while the number of men decreased by 1.8 percent. Additionally, while first-professional enrollments in public institutions went up, they went down in both private non-profit and private for-profit institutions.

At the graduate level, minorities, nonresident aliens, and women increased their share of graduate enrollment between 1996 and 1997. Even so, minorities comprised only 17 percent of the graduate student enrollment compared to their 27 percent share of undergraduate enrollment.

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The distribution of minority enrollment by state largely reflects the distribution of minority residents within each state. To illustrate, in 1997, states differed greatly in the distribution of minority and white students. For example, in California less than half of the students enrolled in colleges and universities were white, while blacks, who represent 10.7 percent of enrollments nationally, composed only 7.8 percent of California's enrollment. By comparison, Hispanics made up 20.7 percent of California's enrollment, and Asians or Pacific Islanders, 17.8 percent. Conversely, in Alabama, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, and South Carolina, blacks' share of enrollment ranged from 22.6 to 31.0 percent, which was more than double their national enrollment share. In New Mexico and Texas, Hispanics composed 33.6 and 21.7 percent of total enrollment, respectively, compared with their 8.4 percent share of enrollment in the nation as a whole. In Hawaii, Asians/Pacific Islanders composed 60.7 percent of total enrollment, while in Alaska, Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, American Indians/Alaska Natives had a significant share of total enrollment (4.0 percent to 11.2 percent) compared with 1.0 percent nationally.

While there was very little change in enrollment between 1996 and 1997 (.9 percent increase), 16 states and the District of Columbia experienced decreases in enrollment. Nebraska had the largest percentage decrease (7.6 percent), while Minnesota and North Dakota experienced declines in enrollment of over 5 percent. Washington State posted the largest percentage increase in enrollment (3.9 percent), followed by Utah (3.7 percent), Mississippi (3.6 percent), Arkansas (3.4 percent), Nevada (3.3 percent), Missouri (3.2 percent), and California (3.1 percent).

The District of Columbia and five of the states that had a decline in total enrollment between 1996 and 1997 also had a decrease in the number of minority students enrolled in institutions in their states, and one state with an overall increase had a decrease in minority enrollment (Iowa). In most states, however, the percentage increase in minority enrollment was much greater than the percentage increase in total enrollment. For example, Arkansas had a 3.4 percent increase in total enrollment and a 9.4 percent increase in minority enrollment.

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Footnotes

1In the remainder of the report, institutions that are eligible for Title IV federal financial aid will be designated simply as "eligible."

2Title IV eligibility is based on lists of eligible institutions maintained by the Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE).

3In 1995, the Title IV eligible, degree-granting universe included approximately 5 per-cent more institutions than were included in the universe of institutions that were accredited at the college level. Most of the institutions that were added to the new reporting universe were private for-profit institutions with relatively small student enrollments. Therefore, it is estimated that the total enrollment of the Title IV eligible, degree-granting universe is approximately 0.1 percent larger that that of the former "accredited" universe. More information on how this change in universe definition has affected fall enrollment counts may be found in Barbett (1998).

4Nonresident aliens are not included as minority enrollment, but are categorized separately.

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Barbett, S. (1998). Fall Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions: 1996 (NCES 1999-239). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

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Data source: The 1996 and 1997 NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:1996 and 1997).

For technical information, see the complete report:

Barbett, S. (1999). Fall Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions: 1997 (NCES 2000-160).

Author affiliation: S. Barbett, NCES.

For questions about content, contact Samuel Barbett (samuel.barbett@ed.gov).

To obtain the complete report (NCES 2000-160), call the toll-free ED Pubs number (877-433-7827), visit the NCES Web Site (http://nces.ed.gov), or contact GPO (202-512-1800).


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