There were approximately 18.58 million college students in the U.S. in 2022, with around 13.49 million enrolled in public colleges and a further 5.09 million students enrolled in private colleges. The figures are projected to remain relatively constant over the next few years.

What is the most expensive college in the U.S.? The overall number of higher education institutions in the U.S. totals around 4,000, and California is the state with the most. One important factor that students – and their parents – must consider before choosing a college is cost. With annual expenses totaling almost 78,000 U.S. dollars, Harvey Mudd College in California was the most expensive college for the 2021-2022 academic year. There are three major costs of college: tuition, room, and board. The difference in on-campus and off-campus accommodation costs is often negligible, but they can change greatly depending on the college town.

The differences between public and private colleges Public colleges, also called state colleges, are mostly funded by state governments. Private colleges, on the other hand, are not funded by the government but by private donors and endowments. Typically, private institutions are  much more expensive. Public colleges tend to offer different tuition fees for students based on whether they live in-state or out-of-state, while private colleges have the same tuition cost for every student.

As of 2022, 51.4 percent of Americans aged 20 to 21 years were enrolled in higher education institutions in the United States, a considerable increase compared to 31.9 percent enrolled in 1970. For Americans aged 18 to 19, 46.5 percent were enrolled in higher education in 2022.

The data here is from the report entitled Trends in Enrollment, Credit Attainment, and Remediation at Connecticut Public Universities and Community Colleges: Results from P20WIN for the High School Graduating Classes of 2010 through 2016.

The report answers three questions: 1. Enrollment: What percentage of the graduating class enrolled in a Connecticut public university or community college (UCONN, the four Connecticut State Universities, and 12 Connecticut community colleges) within 16 months of graduation? 2. Credit Attainment: What percentage of those who enrolled in a Connecticut public university or community college within 16 months of graduation earned at least one year’s worth of credits (24 or more) within two years of enrollment? 3. Remediation: What percentage of those who enrolled in one of the four Connecticut State Universities or one of the 12 community colleges within 16 months of graduation took a remedial course within two years of enrollment?

Notes on the data: School Credit: % Earning 24 Credits is a subset of the % Enrolled in 16 Months. School Remediation: % Enrolled in Remediation is a subset of the % Enrolled in 16 Months.

In the academic year of 2023/24, around 21 million students were enrolled for undergraduate degrees in the United States. This was a slight increase from the previous year, when 20.6 million students were enrolled as undergraduates.

Montgomery College Student Enrollment Data Update Frequency: Annually

Data from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities' College Enrolment Statistical Reporting system. Provides aggregated key enrolment data for college students, such as: * Fall term headcount enrolment by campus, credential pursued and level of study * Fall term headcount enrolment by program and Classification of Instructional Program * Fall term headcount enrolment by student status in Canada and country of citizenship by institution * Fall term headcount enrolment by student demographics (e.g., gender, age, first language) To protect privacy, numbers are suppressed in categories with less than 10 students. ## Related * College enrolments - 1996 to 2011 * University enrolment * Enrolment by grade in secondary schools * School enrolment by gender * Second language course enrolment * Course enrolment in secondary schools * Enrolment by grade in elementary schools

The Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) series was designed to provide comprehensive information on various aspects of postsecondary education in the United States and its territories (American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Marshall Islands) and Department of Defense schools outside the United States. Data are available for both public and private two-year and four-year institutions. The HEGIS Fall Enrollment component for 1969 sought enrollment data from 2,814 institutions of higher education. Key data elements, presented for up to five record types for each institution, include total enrollments of full-time and part-time students by class level, sex, race, and first-time enrollment status, as well as information on the institutions' type of accreditation, type of calendar system, and total number of students.

In 2020, ** percent of high school graduates from families in the lowest income quartile in the United States enrolled in college. This was a decrease of *** percent from the previous year.

The average for 2022 based on 119 countries was 55.47 percent. The highest value was in Greece: 166.67 percent and the lowest value was in Tanzania: 5.43 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In the academic year 2024, the enrollment rate in universities and junior colleges reached around **** percent for male students and **** percent for female students in Japan. The share of young women attending higher education institutions increased more than ******* in the past 60 years. The overall direct enrollment rate after high school graduation was ** percent.

Metric scores are not reported for n-sizes under 10. Per OSSE's policy, secondary suppression is applied to all student groups when a complementary group has an n-size under 10 or is top/bottom suppressed to prevent the calculation of suppressed data.

Data Source: DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education

Why This Matters

A growing number of jobs require college degrees and people with college degrees tend to have higher incomes.

Although bachelor’s degree attainment has increased across all racial and ethnic groups, inequities persist and factors such as family income, parental education level, and neighborhood segregation continue to act as barriers to college enrollment.

Racial disparities in educational attainment perpetuate other racial inequities including in employment opportunities, wages earned, occupations held, and overall well-being.

The District Response

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)’s Division of Postsecondary and Career Education (PCE) helps residents transition into postsecondary programs. They offer career guidance, help students find and apply to grants, and assist residents in obtaining adult literacy proficiency and GED credentials.

The Office of College and Career Readiness (CCR) promotes college access for public school students by offering academically rigorous programs, providing funding for SAT and ACT college entrance exams, and promoting FAFSA and college application completion.

The Tuition Assistance Program Initiative for TANF (TAPIT) provides financial assistance for TANF customers to pursue postsecondary degrees of college certificate programs. This can lower the financial barrier low-income residents face in pursuing higher education.

School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) in Vietnam was reported at 42.22 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Vietnam - School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - Enrolled in College Full Time 16-24 Yrs. (LNU04023002) from Jan 1985 to Aug 2025 about 16 to 24 years, enrolled, tertiary schooling, full-time, education, unemployment, rate, and USA.

We evaluate the impact of routinization from 1960 to 2000 on college enrollment. Among non-college workers, routine occupations employed a substantial share of the female workforce, but this share plummeted from 1970 on. Using shift-share instruments, we show that routinization displaced women’s non-college occupations, raising female enrollment. Men’s non-college occupations were less vulnerable, leaving their enrollment rates largely unaffected. Embedding this instrumental variation into a Roy model explains the mechanisms. Gender differences in skill create a comparative advantage in manual work for non-college men, leaving women to sort into routine jobs, which were more vulnerable to routinization.

This statistic shows the share of 18 to 19 year olds in different states across the United States who were enrolled in college or other higher education programs as of 2010. In California 52.1 percent of 18 to 19 year olds were enrolled in college in 2010.

This paper examines if students' college outcomes are sensitive to access to college admissions tests. I construct a dataset of every test center location and district policy in the United States linked to the universe of individual testing records and a large sample of college enrollment records. I find evidence that SAT taking is responsive to the opening or closing of a testing center at a student's own or a neighboring high school and to policies that provide free in-school administration and default registration. Newly induced takers of high academic aptitude appear likely to attend and graduate from college. (JEL H75, I23, I28)

Explain the annual enrollment data of the Air Force Aviation Technical College.

University and college enrollment measures the total fall enrollment at the University of Illinois and Parkland College. Spring enrollment figures are not included in this indicator.

Enrollment at the University of Illinois has seen a steadily increasing trend since 2000, with a slight drop between 2006 and 2007, and again between 2022 and 2023. Enrollment at Parkland College has had less of a consistent trend, fluctuating between 2000 and 2011. Parkland College enrollment saw a sharp increase between 2011 and 2012, and decreased between 2012 and 2022. Parkland College enrollment increased in 2023 and 2024.

The University of Illinois and Parkland College are both important parts of the Champaign-Urbana community. Enrollment is an intuitive measure of an institution’s growth. Enrollment cannot paint a complete picture of any institution, but it is a solid starting point.

This data came from enrollment reports posted on the University of Illinois and Parkland College websites.

Sources: Parkland College. Website. Table A1: Annual Enrollment Data. FY 00 - FY 24. (Retrieved 5 December 2024).; Division of Management Information. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Website. UIUC Student Enrollment. Years 2000-2024. (Retrieved 5 December 2024).

This data is provided by Gallatin College, Southwest Montana's two-year college that offers two-year associate degrees and one-year professional certificates. This data describes the demographics for both race and ethnicity as well as gender identity for all of the programs offered by Gallatin College.Data DictionaryRace/Ethinicity:A: AsianAIAN: American Indian or Alaska NativeBAA: Black or African AmericanHL: Hispanic or LatinoNHPI: Native Hawaiian or other Pacific IslanderW: WhiteOther: Some other raceTwo: Two or more racesGender IdentityFemaleMaleGNI: Gender not identifiedFind out more about Gallatin College

Graph and download economic data for Ratio of Female to Male Tertiary School Enrollment for the United States (SEENRTERTFMZSUSA) from 1971 to 2022 about enrolled, ratio, females, males, tertiary schooling, education, and USA.