Indicator 20: Undergraduate Enrollment
(Last Updated: February 2019)

Between 2000 and 2016, Hispanic undergraduate enrollment more than doubled (a 134 percent increase from 1.4 million to 3.2 million students). The enrollment for most other racial/ethnic groups increased during the first part of this period, then began to decrease around 2010.

This indicator examines the racial/ethnic differences in undergraduate fall enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by sex and institution type for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Of the 16.3 million undergraduate students in fall 2016, about 9.1 million were White, 3.2 million were Hispanic, 2.2 million were Black, 1.1 million were Asian, 596,000 were of Two or more races, 129,000 were American Indian/Alaska Native, and 47,000 were Pacific Islander.

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Figure 20.1. Undergraduate student enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by race/ethnicity: Fall 2000 through 2016

NOTE: Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Prior to 2010, separate data on Asian students, Pacific Islander students, and students of Two or more races were not available. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2001 through Spring 2017, Fall Enrollment component. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 306.10.

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Between 2000 and 2016, Hispanic undergraduate enrollment more than doubled (a 134 percent increase, from 1.4 million to 3.2 million students). In contrast, undergraduate enrollment for other racial/ethnic groups with available data for 2000 to 2016¹ increased between 2000 and 2010 and then began to decrease around 2010. For instance, Black enrollment increased by 73 percent between 2000 and 2010 (from 1.5 million to 2.7 million students) but then decreased by 17 percent to 2.2 million students in 2016. Similarly, American Indian/Alaska Native enrollment increased by 29 percent between 2000 and 2010 (from 139,000 to 179,000 students) before decreasing by 28 percent to 129,000 students in 2016. Additionally, White enrollment increased by 21 percent between 2000 and 2010 (from 9.0 million to 10.9 million students), then decreased by 17 percent to 9.1 million students in 2016.

Similarly, between 2010 and 2016, the enrollment of Pacific Islander students decreased by 18 percent (from 58,000 to 47,000). In contrast, during this period, the enrollment of students of Two or more races more than doubled (an increase of 103 percent, from 294,000 to 596,000) and the enrollment of Asian students was 2 percent higher in 2016 (1.1 million) than in 2010 (1.0 million).

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Figure 20.2. Percentage of total undergraduate student enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by race/ethnicity: Fall 2000, fall 2010, and fall 2016

— Not available.
# Rounds to zero.
NOTE: Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Prior to 2010, separate data on Asian students, Pacific Islander students, and students of Two or more races were not available. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data. 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), Spring 2001, Spring 2011, and Spring 2017, Fall Enrollment component. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 306.10.

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As a result of the different growth rates of undergraduate enrollment between 2000 and 2016, the distribution of enrollment by racial/ethnic group changed. During this time, Hispanic enrollment as a percentage of total enrollment increased from 10 to 19 percent and Black enrollment increased from 12 to 14 percent of total enrollment. White enrollment as a percentage of total enrollment decreased between 2000 and 2016 (from 70 to 56 percent). During this time, American Indian/Alaska Native enrollment as a percentage of total enrollment decreased by less than 1 percentage point and remained around 1 percent.

Between 2010 and 2016, the enrollment of Asian students and Pacific Islander students as a percentage of total enrollment remained around 6 percent and less than one-half of 1 percent, respectively. The enrollment of students of Two or more races as a percentage of total enrollment increased during this between 2010 and 2016 (from 2 percent to 4 percent).

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Figure 20.3. Percentage distribution of male and female undergraduate student fall enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by race/ethnicity: Fall 2016

NOTE: Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data. 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), Spring 2017, Fall Enrollment component. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 306.10.

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In 2016, a greater percentage of undergraduates were female than male across all racial/ethnic groups. The gap between female and male enrollment was widest for Black students (62 vs. 38 percent) and narrowest for Asian students (53 vs. 47 percent).

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Figure 20.4. Percentage distribution of undergraduate student enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by race/ethnicity of student and control of institution: Fall 2016

NOTE: Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data. Details 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), Spring 2017, Fall Enrollment component. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 306.50.

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In 2016, some 78 percent of undergraduate students attended public institutions, 16 percent attended private nonprofit institutions, and 6 percent attended private for-profit institutions. The percentages of students attending public institutions were above the average (78 percent) for students who were Hispanic (85 percent), Asian (82 percent), American Indian/Alaska Native (81 percent), and of Two or more races (79 percent); the percentages for all other racial/ethnic groups attending public institutions were below the average. The percentages students attending private nonprofit institutions were above the average (16 percent) for students who were White (19 percent), Pacific Islander (17 percent), and of Two or more races (16 percent)²; the percentages were lower than the average for students from all other racial/ethnic groups. The percentages of students attending private for-profit institutions were higher than the average (6 percent) for students who were Pacific Islander (14 percent), Black (12 percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native (7 percent); the percentages were lower than the average for students from all other racial/ethnic groups.

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Endnotes

¹ Separate data on undergraduate enrollment for Asian students, Pacific Islander students, and students of Two or more races became available in 2010.
² Although rounded numbers are discussed, comparisons are based on unrounded data.

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