Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2003 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2002–03, The Education Statistics Quarterly: Vol. 7, Issues 1 & 2, 2005

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Vol 7, Issues 1 & 2, Topic: Postsecondary Education

Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2003 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2002–03

By: Laura G. Knapp, Janice E. Kelly-Reid, Roy W. Whitmore, Shiying Wu, Lorrie Gallego, June Cong, Marcus Berzofsky, Seungho Huh, Burton Levine, and Susan G. Broyles

This article was originally published as the Introduction and Selected Findings of the E.D. TAB of the same name. The universe data are from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

IPEDS 2003–04
Focus of This Report
Selected Findings

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is designed to collect data from postsecondary institutions in the United States (the 50 states and the District of Columbia) and other jurisdictions, such as Puerto Rico.¹ For IPEDS, a postsecondary institution is defined as an organization that is open to the public and has as its primary mission the provision of postsecondary education. IPEDS defines postsecondary education as formal instructional programs with a curriculum designed primarily for students who are beyond the compulsory age for high school. This includes academic, vocational, and continuing professional education programs and excludes institutions that offer only avocational (leisure) and adult basic education programs.

Prior to the inception of IPEDS, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) collected data from approximately 3,600 institutions of higher education through its Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) program. HEGIS was conducted from 1966 until 1985, when NCES expanded its collection to include all postsecondary institutions.

IPEDS 2003–04

Participation in IPEDS was a requirement for the 6,568 institutions that participated in Title IV federal student financial aid programs (such as Pell Grants or Stafford Loans) during the 2003–04 academic year.² Title IV schools include traditional colleges and universities, 2-year institutions, and for-profit degree- and non-degree-granting institutions (such as schools of cosmetology), among others. In addition, the four U.S. service academies are included in IPEDS as if they were Title IV institutions. In fall 2003, IPEDS requested minimal data from 83 administrative (central and system) offices, through a shortened version of the Institutional Characteristics component. These offices are also required to provide Fall Staff and Finance data. Institutions that do not participate in Title IV programs may participate in the IPEDS data collection on a voluntary basis.

Focus of This Report

Tabulations in this report present selected data items collected in fall 2003 from the 6,568 Title IV institutions (6,412 Title IV institutions in the United States and 156 Title IV institutions in the other jurisdictions). Additional detailed information is available through the various IPEDS web tools.³ Institutions provided institutional characteristics and price data for the 2003–04 academic year and completions data (degrees, certificates, and other formal awards conferred) for the 2002–03 academic year. This report presents data for all Title IV institutions.

Selected Findings

Institutional Characteristics

The Institutional Characteristics component of IPEDS collects and maintains information used to classify postsecondary institutions based on a variety of characteristics. Data on sector, level, control, and affiliation allow classification within general categories. More specific categories of institutions can be defined by using additional data, such as types of programs offered, levels of degrees and awards, accreditation, calendar system, admission requirements, student charges, and basic enrollment information.

In addition, this component collects data on tuition and fees (by level of program: undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional) and room and board charges. Price of attendance is also collected for full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking students. For schools that charge by program (e.g., for a 1,500-hour cosmetology program), tuition and fees data are collected for the entire program, not for an academic year.

Selected findings are presented below for the 2003–04 academic year.

Basic characteristics

A total of 4,236 institutions, or 66 percent of the 6,412 Title IV institutions in the United States, were classified as degree-granting during the 2003–04 academic year (table 1 and figure 1).
Among the 4,236 Title IV degree-granting institutions in the United States, 60 percent were classified as 4 years and above, meaning they offered a bachelor's or higher degree; the remaining 40 percent were classified as at least 2 but less than 4 years and offered the associate's as the highest degree (table 1 and figure 2).
Of the 2,176 non-degree-granting Title IV institutions in the United States (those that award certificates only), 77 percent offered certificates for completing programs of less than 2 years' duration; 22 percent offered certificates for completing programs of at least 2 but less than 4 years' duration; and 1 percent offered certificates at the postbaccalaureate level or higher and are classified with 4-year-and-above institutions (table 1 and figure 2).
About 41 percent of the 4,236 Title IV degree-granting institutions in the United States were public, 39 percent were private not-for-profit, and 20 percent were private for-profit (table 1 and figure 2). Among the 2,176 Title IV non-degree-granting institutions in the United States, 15 percent were public, 11 percent were private not-for-profit, and 74 percent were private for-profit.

Table 1. Title IV institutions and administrative offices, by geographic area, control of institution, degree-granting status, and level of institution/office: United States and other jurisdictions, academic year 2003–04

Degree-granting status and level of institution/office	Total	United States				Other jurisdictions
		Total	Public	Private		Total	Public	Private
		Total	Public	Not-for-profit	For- profit	Total	Public	Not-for-profit	For- profit
Institutions	6,568	6,412	2,047	1,913	2,452	156	29	49	78

4 years and above	2,612	2,550	635	1,564	351	62	18	37	7
At least 2 but less than 4 years	2,204	2,178	1,162	233	783	26	11	4	11
Less than 2 years	1,752	1,684	250	116	1,318	68	0	8	60

Degree-granting	4,323	4,236	1,720	1,664	852	87	29	41	17
4 years and above	2,592	2,530	634	1,546	350	62	18	37	7
At least 2 but less than 4 years	1,731	1,706	1,086	118	502	25	11	4	10
Less than 2 years	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†

Non-degree-granting	2,245	2,176	327	249	1,600	69	0	8	61
4 years and above	20	20	1	18	1	0	0	0	0
At least 2 but less than 4 years	473	472	76	115	281	1	0	0	1
Less than 2 years	1,752	1,684	250	116	1,318	68	0	8	60

Administrative offices¹	83	80	69	6	5	3	1	2	0

4 years and above	48	45	38	5	2	3	1	2	0
At least 2 but less than 4 years	31	31	31	0	0	0	0	0	0
Less than 2 years	4	4	0	1	3	0	0	0	0

†Not applicable.

¹Administrative offices (central and system offices) are not shown by degree-granting status since they are not authorized to grant degrees; the types of degrees/awards granted may vary among the institutions they administer. Level of administrative office is determined based on the highest level of offering among all institutions in the system. These offices are required to complete the Institutional Characteristics component in the fall, the Fall Staff component in the winter (if they have more than 15 full-time staff), and the Finance component in the spring (if they have their own separate budget).

NOTE: Data are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells in this table are 100.0 percent. The other jurisdictions include American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Marianas, Palau, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2003.

Figure 1. Title IV institutions, by degree-granting status: United States and other jurisdictions, academic year 2003–04

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2003.

Figure 2. Title IV institutions, by degree-granting status and level and control of institution: United States, academic year 2003–04

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2003.

Tuition and fees at degree-granting institutions

Between 1998-99 and 2003–04, average charges for undergraduate tuition and required fees at 4-year public institutions rose 41 percent for in-state students and 35 percent for out-of-state students (table 2). During the same period, average undergraduate tuition and required fees at 2-year public institutions increased 26 percent for in-state students and 22 percent for out-of-state students.
Between 1998-99 and 2003–04, average undergraduate tuition and required fees increased 30 percent at 4-year private not-for-profit institutions and 25 percent at 2-year private not-for-profit institutions (table 2).
Between 1998-99 and 2003–04, average undergraduate tuition and required fees increased 37 percent at 4-year private for-profit institutions and 43 percent at 2-year private for-profit institutions (table 2).

Table 2. Changes in institutional charges for undergraduate tuition and required fees for full-time, full-year undergraduates at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by year, level of institution, and residency: United States, academic years 1998–99 and 2003–04

Control of institution and residency	Undergraduate tuition and required fees
	1998–99¹		2003–04		Percent change
	4 years and above	At least 2 but less than 4 years	4 years and above	At least 2 but less than 4 years	4 years and above	At least 2 but less than 4 years
Public institutions²
In-district
Average charge	$3,213	$1,437	$4,621	$1,876	43.8	30.6
Median charge	3,007	1,375	4,259	1,822	41.6	32.5
In-state
Average charge	3,214	1,775	4,542	2,245	41.3	26.4
Median charge	3,007	1,490	4,185	2,112	39.2	41.7
Out-of-state
Average charge	8,327	4,186	11,273	5,095	35.4	21.7
Median charge	8,324	4,170	10,853	4,852	30.4	16.4
Private not-for-profit institutions
Average charge	11,610	7,298	15,149	9,091	30.5	24.6
Median charge	11,285	6,710	15,120	9,000	34.0	34.1
Private for-profit institutions
Average charge	8,787	7,686	12,037	10,971	37.0	42.7
Median charge	8,160	7,501	10,932	9,960	34.0	32.8

¹The item response rates for all cells for 1998–99 range from 87.8 percent to 99.5 percent.

²For public institutions, “in district” refers to the charges paid by a student who lives in the locality surrounding the institution, such as a county.

NOTE: Institutional charges data for 1998–99 are not imputed. Tuition and required fees are average institutional charges, not average amounts paid by students (i.e., charges are not weighted by enrollment). Institutions that report tuitions by program are not included. U.S. service academies are not included. Medians were calculated using SAS, Version 8, Proc Univariate. All amounts are in current dollars.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2000 (for 1998–99 data) and Fall 2003.

Price of attendance at degree-granting institutions

Price of attendance is an estimate of the total amount an incoming undergraduate-level student should expect to pay to attend college. This price includes tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, and certain other designated expenses such as transportation. IPEDS collects price-of-attendance information for full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students from Title IV institutions. These estimates are the amounts provided by the institutions' financial aid offices and are used to determine a student's financial need.

In all cases, private institutions were more expensive to attend than public institutions (table 3 and figures 3 and 4).
Private for-profit 4-year institutions reported the highest overall average price of attendance during 2003–04 for undergraduates living on campus ($26,626), while private not-for-profit 4-year institutions reported an average price of $25,029 (table 3). Public 4-year institutions reported an average price of $13,455 for in-state undergraduates living on campus and $20,328 for out-of-state undergraduates living on campus.
During 2003–04, private not-for-profit 4-year institutions reported an average price of $24,988 for undergraduates living off campus and not with family, and $18,899 for undergraduates living off campus with family (table 3).
Two-year public institutions offered the lowest price of attendance overall in 2003–04: $6,037 for in-state students living off campus with family and $8,893 for out-of-state students living off campus with family (table 3).
Between 1998-99 and 2003–04, the average price of attendance for undergraduates attending 4-year public institutions and living on campus rose 31 percent for in-state students and 32 percent for out-of-state students (table 3). Likewise, the price for undergraduates living on campus at 4-year private not-for-profit institutions rose 26 percent over the same 5-year period, while the price for undergraduates living on campus at 4-year private for-profit institutions rose 40 percent.

Table 3. Changes in average price of attendance for full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking students at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by level of institution, control of institution, and residency: United States, academic years 1998–99 and 2003–04

Control of institution, residency, and price of attendance	1998–99		2003–04		Percent change
Control of institution, residency, and price of attendance	4 years and above	At least 2 but less than 4 years	4 years and above	At least 2 but less than 4 years	4 years and above	At least 2 but less than 4 years
Public institutions
In-state
On campus¹	$10,269	$7,074	$13,455	$9,011	31.0	27.4
Off campus (not with family)	11,449	9,327	14,504	11,592	26.7	24.3
Off campus (with family)	6,544	4,885	8,372	6,037	27.9	23.6
Out-of-state
On campus¹	15,441	9,116	20,328	11,322	31.6	24.2
Off campus (not with family)	16,470	11,685	21,133	14,448	28.3	23.6
Off campus (with family)²	11,565	7,244	15,002	8,893	29.7	22.8
Private not-for-profit institutions
On campus¹	19,905	14,232	25,029	17,881	25.7	25.6
Off campus (not with family)	19,980	15,593	24,988	19,373	25.1	24.2
Off campus (with family)	15,225	10,252	18,899	13,202	24.1	28.8
Private for-profit institutions
On campus¹	18,987	17,809	26,626	21,985	40.2	23.4
Off campus (not with family)	17,310	16,612	24,649	21,129	42.4	27.2
Off campus (with family)	12,758	12,023	17,062	15,338	33.7	27.6

¹On-campus average price is based on those institutions that offer on-campus housing and/or meal service.

²Out-of-state, off-campus with family includes independent or dependent students living with family members; however, the student does not qualify for in-state tuition.

NOTE: Price data for 1998–99 are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells for 1998–99 range from 98.0 percent to 100.0 percent. Price of attendance includes tuition and fees, room and board charges, books and supplies, and other expenses. Institutions that report tuition by program are not included. U.S. service academies are not included. All amounts are in current dollars.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2000 (for 1998–99 data) and Fall 2003.

Distributions by state

There were 6,412 Title IV institutions in the United States during the 2003–04 academic year (table 4). Three states had more than 400 institutions: California had 634, New York had 447, and Pennsylvania had 413. The three states with fewer than 20 institutions were Alaska with 10, Wyoming with 11, and Delaware with 15.
There were 4,236 Title IV degree-granting institutions in the United States during the 2003–04 academic year (table 5). California was the only state with more than 400 institutions, while New York had 309 and Pennsylvania had 262. Three states had 10 or fewer degree-granting institutions: Alaska, Wyoming, and Delaware (with 8, 9, and 10 institutions, respectively).

Figure 3. Average price of attendance for full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking students living on campus at Title IV degree-granting 4-year institutions, by control of institution and residency: United States, 2003–04

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2003.

Figure 4. Average price of attendance for full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking students living off campus with family at Title IV degree-granting 2-year institutions, by control of institution and residency: United States, 2003–04

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2003.

Table 4. Title IV institutions, by level and control of institution and state or other jurisdiction: Academic year 2003–04

State or other jurisdiction	Total	4 years and above			At least 2 but less than 4 years			Less than 2 years
		Public	Private		Public	Private		Public	Private
		Public	Not-for-profit	For- profit	Public	Not-for-profit	For- profit	Public	Not-for-profit	For- profit
United States	6,412	635	1,564	351	1,162	233	783	250	116	1,318
Alabama	83	17	17	6	29	5	2	0	1	6
Alaska	10	3	2	1	2	0	0	1	0	1
Arizona	106	5	15	15	20	1	19	3	0	28
Arkansas	79	11	10	2	23	4	1	3	0	25
California	634	34	147	49	112	17	56	9	29	181
Colorado	99	14	14	18	16	1	16	3	0	17
Connecticut	81	11	19	1	12	4	3	0	1	30
Delaware	15	2	4	0	3	2	0	0	0	4
District of Columbia	21	2	11	3	0	1	0	0	1	3
Florida	290	15	52	38	55	2	48	7	6	67
Georgia	171	22	34	10	53	3	11	0	0	38
Hawaii	25	3	5	3	7	1	2	0	0	4
Idaho	26	4	4	2	3	0	11	0	0	2
Illinois	259	12	84	16	48	9	15	2	8	65
Indiana	134	14	42	6	16	4	23	3	0	26
Iowa	89	3	35	6	16	4	25	0	0	0
Kansas	86	9	21	2	29	2	4	2	2	15
Kentucky	106	8	26	2	26	1	39	0	1	3
Louisiana	143	16	10	3	48	2	17	1	0	46
Maine	42	8	12	0	7	3	3	0	1	8
Maryland	87	14	21	7	16	1	7	0	0	21
Massachusetts	177	15	81	3	16	7	8	5	1	41
Michigan	174	15	58	2	30	3	8	2	3	53
Minnesota	132	12	35	14	40	4	10	0	4	13
Mississippi	58	9	11	0	17	0	6	0	0	15
Missouri	184	15	55	14	23	7	22	21	1	26
Montana	30	6	4	0	12	3	3	0	0	2
Nebraska	48	7	16	0	8	4	12	0	0	1
Nevada	24	4	1	5	3	0	8	0	1	2
New Hampshire	37	5	15	1	4	0	1	0	2	9
New Jersey	148	14	22	2	20	9	6	4	2	69
New Mexico	51	7	6	7	20	1	1	0	0	9
New York	447	45	165	12	36	41	38	29	22	59
North Carolina	161	16	43	6	60	3	6	0	1	26
North Dakota	26	7	4	0	8	1	5	0	0	1
Ohio	314	25	70	6	38	12	83	49	4	27
Oklahoma	136	15	17	3	33	0	4	27	1	36
Oregon	86	9	25	4	17	1	23	0	0	7
Pennsylvania	413	44	100	9	23	38	82	31	7	79
Rhode Island	23	2	10	0	1	1	0	0	0	9
South Carolina	78	12	23	2	21	2	3	1	0	14
South Dakota	31	9	7	4	5	4	2	0	0	0
Tennessee	148	9	46	10	13	4	15	26	1	24
Texas	370	42	51	10	70	5	40	2	3	147
Utah	52	7	3	5	7	1	21	2	0	6
Vermont	30	5	18	1	1	2	1	0	0	2
Virginia	155	15	32	23	25	5	17	7	3	28
Washington	124	11	21	11	35	3	22	1	1	19
West Virginia	70	12	11	0	10	1	22	8	6	0
Wisconsin	88	13	29	7	18	4	10	0	3	4
Wyoming	11	1	0	0	7	0	2	1	0	0
Other jurisdictions	156	18	37	7	11	4	11	0	8	60
American Samoa	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Federated States of Micronesia	4	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0
Guam	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Marshall Islands	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Northern Marianas	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Palau	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Puerto Rico	143	14	36	7	3	4	11	0	8	60
Virgin Islands	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

NOTE: Data are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells in this table are 100.0 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2003.

Table 5. Title IV degree-granting institutions, by level and control of institution and state or other jurisdiction: Academic year 2003–04

State or other jurisdiction	Total	4 years and above			At least 2 but less than 4 years
		Public	Private		Public	Private
		Public	Not-for-profit	For- profit	Public	Not-for-profit	For- profit
United States	4,236	634	1,546	350	1,086	118	502

Alabama	75	17	17	6	29	4	2
Alaska	8	3	2	1	2	0	0
Arizona	74	5	15	15	20	1	18
Arkansas	47	11	10	2	22	1	1
California	401	34	146	48	110	16	47

Colorado	75	14	12	18	15	1	15
Connecticut	46	11	18	1	12	1	3
Delaware	10	2	4	0	3	1	0
District of Columbia	16	2	11	3	0	0	0
Florida	169	15	52	38	25	2	37

Georgia	126	22	33	10	52	3	6
Hawaii	20	3	5	3	7	1	1
Idaho	14	4	4	2	3	0	1
Illinois	173	12	82	16	48	3	12
Indiana	101	14	42	6	15	3	21

Iowa	63	3	35	6	16	2	1
Kansas	63	9	21	2	27	2	2
Kentucky	77	8	26	2	26	1	14
Louisiana	90	16	10	3	46	0	15
Maine	30	8	12	0	7	1	2

Maryland	63	14	21	7	16	1	4
Massachusetts	122	15	79	3	16	5	4
Michigan	110	15	58	2	30	1	4
Minnesota	113	12	35	14	40	3	9
Mississippi	40	9	11	0	17	0	3

Missouri	123	14	54	14	20	4	17
Montana	23	6	4	0	12	1	0
Nebraska	39	7	16	0	8	1	7
Nevada	17	4	1	5	3	0	4
New Hampshire	25	5	14	1	4	0	1

New Jersey	58	14	21	2	19	1	1
New Mexico	42	7	6	7	20	1	1
New York	309	45	163	12	35	21	33
North Carolina	130	16	43	6	59	1	5
North Dakota	21	7	4	0	8	1	1

Ohio	187	25	70	6	36	4	46
Oklahoma	53	15	17	3	14	0	4
Oregon	59	9	25	4	17	1	3
Pennsylvania	262	44	98	9	21	16	74
Rhode Island	13	2	10	0	1	0	0

South Carolina	63	12	23	2	21	2	3
South Dakota	26	9	7	4	5	1	0
Tennessee	95	9	46	10	13	3	14
Texas	208	42	51	10	69	4	32
Utah	28	7	3	5	6	1	6
Vermont	27	5	18	1	1	1	1
Virginia	104	15	32	23	24	0	10
Washington	81	11	21	11	35	0	3
West Virginia	40	12	10	0	6	0	12
Wisconsin	68	13	28	7	18	1	1
Wyoming	9	1	0	0	7	0	1
Other jurisdictions	87	18	37	7	11	4	10
American Samoa	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
Federated States of Micronesia	4	0	0	0	4	0	0
Guam	3	1	1	0	1	0	0
Marshall Islands	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
Northern Marianas	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
Palau	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
Puerto Rico	74	14	36	7	3	4	10
Virgin Islands	2	2	0	0	0	0	0

NOTE: Data are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells in this table are 100.0 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2003.

Completions

The Completions component collects data annually on recognized degree completions in postsecondary education programs by level (associate's, bachelor's, master's, doctor's,⁴ and first-professional⁵) and on other formal awards by length of program. Data are collected by race/ethnicity and gender of recipient and by field of study. In addition, completions data on the number of students with multiple majors are collected by field of study, degree level, race/ethnicity, and gender from those schools that award degrees with multiple majors. Data reflect all formal awards (degrees, diplomas, certificates) conferred between July 1, 2002, and June 30, 2003.

Numbers of degrees

For the 2002–03 academic year, about 2.6 million degrees were awarded by Title IV degree-granting institutions located in the United States (table 6).
Of the total number of degrees awarded in 2002–03, 24 percent were associate's degrees, 51 percent were bachelor's degrees, 20 percent were master's degrees, 2 percent were doctor's degrees, and 3 percent were first-professional degrees (table 6).

Degrees by control of institution

Bachelor's degrees accounted for 51 percent of all degrees awarded by public institutions and 56 percent of all degrees awarded by private not-for-profit institutions during 2002–03 (table 6).
Private for-profit institutions awarded 65 percent of their degrees at the associate's level during the 2002–03 academic year and 23 percent at the bachelor's level (table 6).
Public institutions accounted for about two-thirds (65 percent) of all degrees awarded by Title IV degree-granting institutions in the United States during the 2002–03 academic year, while private not-for-profit institutions accounted for 30 percent and private for-profit institutions accounted for the remaining 5 percent (table 7).

Gender and race/ethnicity⁶ of recipients

Women continued to earn more degrees than men in academic year 2002–03, about 58 percent of all degrees (table 7). Women earned 60 percent of all associate's degrees, 58 percent of all bachelor's degrees, and 59 percent of all master's degrees.
About two-thirds (67 percent) of all degrees conferred during the 2002–03 academic year went to White, non-Hispanic students; 22 percent to members of groups other than Whites (includes Black, non-Hispanics, Hispanics, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Alaska Natives); and the remainder to nonresident aliens (5 percent) or individuals whose race/ethnicity was unknown (5 percent) (table 7).
The proportion of degrees awarded to members of groups other than Whites was highest at the associate's level, with 27 percent of all degrees (table 7). These students also were awarded 22 percent of bachelor's degrees, 17 percent of master's degrees, 14 percent of doctor's degrees, and 24 percent of first-professional degrees.
Nonresident aliens received 14 percent of all master's degrees and 25 percent of all doctor's degrees, much higher proportions than of any group other than White, non-Hispanics (table 7).
Women earned about two-thirds (67 percent) of degrees granted to Black, non-Hispanics, 63 percent of degrees granted to American Indians/Alaska Natives, 61 percent of degrees granted to Hispanics, 58 percent of degrees granted to White, non-Hispanics, and 55 percent of degrees granted to Asians/Pacific Islanders (table 8).

Table 6. Number and percentage of degrees conferred by Title IV degree-granting institutions, by control of institution and level of degree: United States, academic year 2002–03

Level of degree	Total	Public	Private not-for-profit	Private for-profit
Total, all degrees	2,620,894	1,699,865	784,293	136,736
Percent of total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Associate’s degrees	632,912	497,132	46,260	89,520
Percent of total	24.1	29.2	5.9	65.5
Bachelor’s degrees	1,348,503	875,420	441,928	31,155
Percent of total	51.5	51.5	56.3	22.8
Master’s degrees	512,645	265,695	231,963	14,987
Percent of total	19.6	15.6	29.6	11.0
Doctor’s degrees¹	46,024	28,069	17,113	842
Percent of total	1.8	1.7	2.2	0.6
First-professional degrees²	80,810	33,549	47,029	232
Percent of total	3.1	2.0	6.0	0.2

¹Doctor’s degrees are considered the highest award a student can earn for graduate study. The doctor’s degree classification includes such degrees as Doctor of Education, Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of Public Health, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in any field such as agronomy, food technology, education, engineering, public administration, ophthalmology, or radiology.

²First-professional degrees are awarded after completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the following professions: chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.); dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.); law (L.L.B. or J.D.); medicine (M.D.); optometry (O.D.); osteopathic medicine (D.O.); pharmacy (Pharm.D.); podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.); theology (M.Div., M.H.L., B.D., or Ordination); or veterinary medicine (D.V.M.).

NOTE: 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 2003.

Table 7. Degrees conferred and percentage distribution by Title IV degree-granting institutions, by level of degree, control of institution, gender, and race/ethnicity: United States, academic year 2002–03

Control of institution, gender, and race/ethnicity	Total degrees		Associate’s degrees		Bachelor’s degrees
Control of institution, gender, and race/ethnicity	Number	Percent of total	Number	Percent of total	Number	Percent of total
All institutions	2,620,894	100.0	632,912	100.0	1,348,503	100.0

Control of institution
Public	1,699,865	64.9	497,132	78.5	875,420	64.9
Private not-for-profit	784,293	29.9	46,260	7.3	441,928	32.8
Private for-profit	136,736	5.2	89,520	14.1	31,155	2.3

Gender
Men	1,103,695	42.1	253,060	40.0	573,079	42.5
Women	1,517,199	57.9	379,852	60.0	775,424	57.5

Race/ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic	1,751,927	66.8	417,671	66.0	943,745	70.0
Black, non-Hispanic	237,615	9.1	72,004	11.4	117,774	8.7
Hispanic	175,290	6.7	63,077	10.0	84,333	6.3
Asian/Pacific Islander	150,438	5.7	31,067	4.9	83,232	6.2
American Indian/Alaska Native	19,764	0.8	7,134	1.1	9,314	0.7
Race/ethnicity unknown	144,017	5.5	28,518	4.5	66,866	5.0
Nonresident alien	141,843	5.4	13,441	2.1	43,239	3.2
Control of institution, gender, and race/ethnicity	Master’s degrees		Doctor’s degrees¹		First–professional degrees²
Control of institution, gender, and race/ethnicity	Number	Percent of total	Number	Percent of total	Number	Percent of total
All institutions	512,645	100.0	46,024	100.0	80,810	100.0

Control of institution
Public	265,695	51.8	28,069	61.0	33,549	41.5
Private not-for-profit	231,963	45.2	17,113	37.2	47,029	58.2
Private for-profit	14,987	2.9	842	1.8	232	0.3

Gender
Men	211,381	41.2	24,341	52.9	41,834	51.8
Women	301,264	58.8	21,683	47.1	38,976	48.2

Race/ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic	309,055	60.3	25,863	56.2	55,593	68.8
Black, non-Hispanic	40,046	7.8	2,362	5.1	5,429	6.7
Hispanic	22,560	4.4	1,457	3.2	3,863	4.8
Asian/Pacific Islander	24,513	4.8	2,259	4.9	9,367	11.6
American Indian/Alaska Native	2,574	0.5	185	0.4	557	0.7
Race/ethnicity unknown	42,315	8.3	2,272	4.9	4,046	5.0
Nonresident alien	71,582	14.0	11,626	25.3	1,955	2.4

NOTE: 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 2003.

Distributions by state

Institutions in California awarded more undergraduate degrees than institutions in any other state during the 2002–03 academic year: 90,028 associate's degrees and 135,844 bachelor's degrees (table 9). New York granted more master's degrees than any other state (58,210), followed by California with 48,651. At the doctorate level, California led with 5,731 degrees, followed by New York with 3,741.

Table 8. Degrees conferred by Title IV degree-granting institutions, by gender and race/ethnicity: United States, academic year 2002–03

Race/ethnicity	Total degrees	Men	Women
	Number
Total, all degrees	2,620,894	1,103,695	1,517,199

White, non-Hispanic	1,751,927	738,058	1,013,869
Black, non-Hispanic	237,615	77,711	159,904
Hispanic	175,290	68,948	106,342
Asian/Pacific Islander	150,438	67,986	82,452
American Indian/Alaska Native	19,764	7,405	12,359
Race/ethnicity unknown	144,017	63,946	80,071
Nonresident alien	141,843	79,641	62,202

	Percent
Total, all degrees	100.0	42.1	57.9

White, non-Hispanic	100.0	42.1	57.9
Black, non-Hispanic	100.0	32.7	67.3
Hispanic	100.0	39.3	60.7
Asian/Pacific Islander	100.0	45.2	54.8
American Indian/Alaska Native	100.0	37.5	62.5
Race/ethnicity unknown	100.0	44.4	55.6
Nonresident alien	100.0	56.1	43.9

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2003.

Table 9. Selected degrees conferred by Title IV degree-granting institutions, by level of degree, gender, and state: Academic year 2002–03

State	Associate’s degrees			Bachelor’s degrees			Master’s degrees			Doctor’s degrees
State	Total	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women
United States	632,912	253,060	379,852	1,348,503	573,079	775,424	512,645	211,381	301,264	46,024	24,341	21,683

Alabama	8,744	3,177	5,567	20,479	8,355	12,124	8,441	3,229	5,212	586	327	259
Alaska	952	358	594	1,363	489	874	506	228	278	36	19	17
Arizona	12,042	5,192	6,850	23,372	10,537	12,835	12,618	5,471	7,147	803	408	395
Arkansas	4,714	1,516	3,198	10,591	4,410	6,181	2,384	838	1,546	180	96	84
California	90,028	34,625	55,403	135,844	57,400	78,444	48,651	20,481	28,170	5,731	3,070	2,661

Colorado	8,860	3,715	5,145	24,260	11,340	12,920	9,232	4,251	4,981	813	443	370
Connecticut	4,641	1,622	3,019	16,034	6,682	9,352	8,252	3,322	4,930	648	332	316
Delaware	1,147	389	758	5,164	1,948	3,216	1,763	658	1,105	168	95	73
District of Columbia	664	224	440	8,900	3,605	5,295	7,460	3,345	4,115	579	242	337
Florida	55,603	23,292	32,311	58,933	25,009	33,924	20,785	8,853	11,932	2,592	1,148	1,444

Georgia	10,689	3,782	6,907	31,974	13,197	18,777	12,059	5,002	7,057	1,122	599	523
Hawaii	3,745	1,760	1,985	5,047	1,978	3,069	1,728	694	1,034	146	71	75
Idaho	3,788	1,463	2,325	5,975	2,730	3,245	1,487	672	815	131	86	45
Illinois	27,827	10,907	16,920	59,569	25,572	33,997	30,240	13,104	17,136	2,582	1,389	1,193
Indiana	12,776	5,967	6,809	35,284	16,094	19,190	9,503	4,487	5,016	1,147	694	453

Iowa	10,518	4,426	6,092	20,034	8,624	11,410	3,948	1,752	2,196	506	285	221
Kansas	7,266	2,929	4,337	15,744	6,896	8,848	5,604	2,299	3,305	414	208	206
Kentucky	7,860	2,590	5,270	16,254	6,604	9,650	5,430	1,990	3,440	404	228	176
Louisiana	5,604	1,945	3,659	21,182	8,317	12,865	5,813	2,218	3,595	491	250	241
Maine	2,144	788	1,356	6,158	2,485	3,673	1,349	405	944	56	32	24

Maryland	8,432	3,236	5,196	24,537	10,494	14,043	12,057	5,003	7,054	969	488	481
Massachusetts	10,842	4,228	6,614	44,726	18,945	25,781	26,946	10,500	16,446	2,320	1,234	1,086
Michigan	21,298	7,804	13,494	50,178	21,334	28,844	23,196	9,828	13,368	1,525	868	657
Minnesota	13,302	5,458	7,844	25,783	10,727	15,056	9,185	3,242	5,943	941	463	478
Mississippi	7,515	2,430	5,085	11,797	4,649	7,148	3,417	1,243	2,174	340	160	180

Missouri	12,004	4,790	7,214	33,291	14,271	19,020	15,591	6,718	8,873	1,182	583	599
Montana	1,666	646	1,020	5,238	2,421	2,817	979	451	528	75	44	31
Nebraska	4,366	2,210	2,156	11,025	4,927	6,098	3,533	1,490	2,043	434	189	245
Nevada	2,489	980	1,509	4,877	1,977	2,900	1,527	580	947	132	67	65
New Hampshire	3,149	1,271	1,878	7,563	3,151	4,412	2,387	1,030	1,357	142	81	61

New Jersey	13,066	4,889	8,177	29,604	12,468	17,136	11,140	4,809	6,331	1,052	583	469
New Mexico	3,871	1,395	2,476	7,027	2,891	4,136	2,622	1,083	1,539	244	134	110
New York	53,569	20,528	33,041	106,188	43,868	62,320	58,210	21,361	36,849	3,741	1,959	1,782
North Carolina	15,460	5,280	10,180	37,272	15,252	22,020	10,143	4,426	5,717	1,138	595	543
North Dakota	1,931	892	1,039	4,882	2,309	2,573	928	393	535	90	44	46

Ohio	21,063	8,152	12,911	54,852	23,489	31,363	18,824	7,546	11,278	1,858	970	888
Oklahoma	8,070	3,208	4,862	16,348	7,180	9,168	5,389	2,488	2,901	416	244	172
Oregon	7,365	3,368	3,997	15,601	6,710	8,891	5,622	2,273	3,349	499	263	236
Pennsylvania	24,177	11,064	13,113	72,351	31,200	41,151	24,038	10,140	13,898	2,431	1,297	1,134
Rhode Island	3,516	1,688	1,828	9,108	3,896	5,212	2,056	874	1,182	246	146	100

South Carolina	7,526	2,793	4,733	17,817	7,335	10,482	4,496	1,647	2,849	428	237	191
South Dakota	2,200	995	1,205	4,344	1,947	2,397	1,070	480	590	75	37	38
Tennessee	8,826	3,247	5,579	24,369	10,125	14,244	8,136	3,049	5,087	731	347	384
Texas	34,919	15,016	19,903	82,649	34,809	47,840	27,879	12,317	15,562	2,626	1,449	1,177
Utah	9,374	4,299	5,075	19,086	9,579	9,507	3,827	2,239	1,588	336	216	120

Vermont	1,419	660	759	4,545	2,032	2,513	1,449	508	941	44	21	23
Virginia	13,486	5,326	8,160	34,657	14,379	20,278	11,251	4,566	6,685	1,169	650	519
Washington	21,773	9,463	12,310	25,908	11,105	14,803	8,310	3,319	4,991	663	339	324
West Virginia	3,216	1,167	2,049	9,335	4,174	5,161	2,479	936	1,543	160	92	68
Wisconsin	10,690	4,330	6,360	29,645	12,412	17,233	8,288	3,354	4,934	826	486	340
Wyoming	2,720	1,580	1,140	1,739	751	988	417	189	228	56	33	23

NOTE: Only the degree awarded for the first major is included for students with multiple majors.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2003.

Footnotes

¹The other jurisdictions surveyed in IPEDS are American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Marianas, Palau, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

²Institutions participating in Title IV programs are accredited by an agency or organization recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, have a program of over 300 clock hours or 8 credit hours, have been in business for at least 2 years, and have a signed Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), U.S. Department of Education.

³See http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds.

⁴Doctor's degrees are considered the highest award a student can earn for graduate study. The doctor's degree classification includes such degrees as Doctor of Education, Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of Public Health, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in any field such as agronomy, food technology, education, engineering, public administration, ophthalmology, or radiology.

⁵First-professional degrees are awarded after completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the following professions: chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.); dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.); law (L.L.B. or J.D.); medicine (M.D.); optometry (O.D.); osteopathic medicine (D.O.); pharmacy (Pharm.D.); podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.); theology (M.Div., M.H.L., B.D., or Ordination); or veterinary medicine (D.V.M.).

⁶Race/ethnicity data are collected for U.S. citizens and resident aliens only; individuals are reported in one category only (White, non-Hispanic; Black, non-Hispanic; Hispanic; Asian/Pacific Islander; or American Indian/Alaska Native) or as race/ethnicity unknown. Nonresident aliens are reported separately. See the Glossary in the full report for definitions of terms.

Data source: The NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2002 and Fall 2003.

For technical information, see the complete report:

Knapp, L.G., Kelly-Reid, J.E., Whitmore, R.W., Wu, S., Gallego, L., Cong, J., Berzofsky, M., Huh, S., Levine, B., and Broyles, S.G. (2005). Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2003 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2002–03 (NCES 2005-154).

Author affiliations: L.G. Knapp, consultant; J.E. Kelly-Reid, R.W. Whitmore, S. Wu, L. Gallego, J. Cong, M. Berzofsky, S. Huh, and B. Levine, RTI International; S.G. Broyles, NCES.

For questions about content, contact Aurora D'Amico (aurora.d'amico@ed.gov).

To obtain the complete report (NCES 2005-154), visit the NCES Electronic Catalog (http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch).