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.

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.

In 2022, about 6.57 million male students were enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions as undergraduates. This is compared to 8.82 million female undergraduate students who were enrolled in that same year. By 2031, these figures are projected to increase to 7.12 million and 9.7 million respectively.

The number of students starting in Ivy League schools for the Class of 2028 (those beginning in the Fall of 2024), varied from school to school. Cornell University had the largest Class of 2028 among the Ivy League schools, with 3,574 enrolled students.

This dataset contains the total first-year retention rates and counts (Fall to Fall) for new first-time, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students, disaggregated by gender. It covers all public community colleges and state universities in Massachusetts, and the University of Massachusetts since 2013.

This dataset is 1 of 3 datasets that is also published in the interactive Retention of First-Time, Full-Time Students dashboard on the Department of Higher Education Data Center:

Public Postsecondary First Year Retention: Summary Public Postsecondary First Year Retention by Race Public Postsecondary First Year Retention by Gender

Definitions: - Retention is characterized when a new first-time, full-time student who was enrolled in their first Fall semester is again enrolled in their second Fall semester. - Adjusted Cohort Count: the number of first-year students in a cohort, excluding those who graduated within the first year. - Retained Any Institution is determined by finding students enrolled in the next Fall at other MA Public Institutions using Massachusetts Department of Higher Education data or elsewhere using NSC data. - Cohort identification: These are the Fall Term Credit Students, identified with a cohort when their current registration = New; their New Student Type = Degree-seeking; and enrollment is full-time with >= 12 credits.

Notes: - To comply with data privacy laws, Bucketing is used as a form of data suppression. If a gender category has <= 6 students, then its data is combined with the next largest gender category and the gender is labeled as "Other." - Data appear as reported to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

The Colleges and Universities feature class/shapefile is composed of all Post Secondary Education facilities as defined by the Integrated Post Secondary Education System (IPEDS, http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/), National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, https://nces.ed.gov/), US Department of Education for the 2018-2019 school year. Included are Doctoral/Research Universities, Masters Colleges and Universities, Baccalaureate Colleges, Associates Colleges, Theological seminaries, Medical Schools and other health care professions, Schools of engineering and technology, business and management, art, music, design, Law schools, Teachers colleges, Tribal colleges, and other specialized institutions. Overall, this data layer covers all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico and other assorted U.S. territories. This feature class contains all MEDS/MEDS+ as approved by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Homeland Security Infrastructure Program (HSIP) Team. Complete field and attribute information is available in the ”Entities and Attributes” metadata section. Geographical coverage is depicted in the thumbnail above and detailed in the "Place Keyword" section of the metadata. This feature class does not have a relationship class but is related to Supplemental Colleges. Colleges and Universities that are not included in the NCES IPEDS data are added to the Supplemental Colleges feature class when found. This release includes the addition of 175 new records, the removal of 468 no longer reported by NCES, and modifications to the spatial location and/or attribution of 6682 records.

The total number and ratio of undergraduate students and extension students in colleges and universities in Taiwan, sorted by academic year and establishment type.

Report by NYS High School of the number of SUNY First Time Undergraduates entering in the Term, who reported attending that High School. The total number of First Time Undergraduates at SUNY from each High School is provided. The total is sub-divided by the SUNY Sector of the Institution the student is attending; Doctoral, Comprehensive, Technology and Community College. The report also provides a total count by NYS County, which is an aggregate of all the high schools in that County.

This dataset contains the total first-year retention rates and counts (Fall to Fall) for new first-time, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students, disaggregated by race. It covers all public community colleges and state universities in Massachusetts, and the University of Massachusetts since 2013.

This dataset is 1 of 3 datasets that is also published in the interactive Retention of First-Time, Full-Time Students dashboard on the Department of Higher Education Data Center:

Public Postsecondary First Year Retention: Summary Public Postsecondary First Year Retention by Race Public Postsecondary First Year Retention by Gender

Definitions: - Retention is characterized when a new first-time, full-time student who was enrolled in their first Fall semester is again enrolled in their second Fall semester. - Adjusted Cohort Count: the number of first-year students in a cohort, excluding those who graduated within the first year. - Retained Any Institution is determined by finding students enrolled in the next Fall at other MA Public Institutions using Massachusetts Department of Higher Education data or elsewhere using NSC data. - Cohort identification: These are the Fall Term Credit Students, identified with a cohort when their current registration = New; their New Student Type = Degree-seeking; and enrollment is full-time with >= 12 credits.

Notes: - To comply with data privacy laws, student groups with cohort sizes <= 6 are suppressed. - Data appear as reported to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

This dataset contains the total first-year retention rates and counts (Fall to Fall) for new first-time, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students. It covers all public community colleges and state universities in Massachusetts, and the University of Massachusetts since 2013.

This dataset is 1 of 3 datasets that is also published in the interactive Retention of First-Time, Full-Time Students dashboard on the Department of Higher Education Data Center:

Public Postsecondary First Year Retention: Summary Public Postsecondary First Year Retention by Race Public Postsecondary First Year Retention by Gender

Definitions: - Retention is characterized when a new first-time, full-time student who was enrolled in their first Fall semester is again enrolled in their second Fall semester. - Adjusted Cohort Count: the number of first-year students in a cohort, excluding those who graduated within the first year. - Retained Any Institution is determined by finding students enrolled in the next Fall at other MA Public Institutions using Massachusetts Department of Higher Education data or elsewhere using NSC data. - Cohort identification: These are the Fall Term Credit Students, identified with a cohort when their current registration = New; their New Student Type = Degree-seeking; and enrollment is full-time with >= 12 credits.

Notes: - Data appear as reported to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

According to latest figures, around 38.91 million undergraduate students were enrolled in degree programs at public colleges and universities in China in 2024. In 2023, around 20.67 million students were studying in bachelor's degree programs, while 17.08 million were enrolled in more practically oriented short-cycle degree programs. The number of graduates from these programs reached around 10.47 million in 2023. On a postgraduate level, there were almost 3.9 million master's and doctor's degree students studying at public institutions in China in 2023. Development of enrollment figures Since the beginning of the reform era in 1979, the number of students enrolled at institutions of tertiary education in China has increased tremendously. While the gross enrollment rate in tertiary education ranged at only 3.4 percent in 1990, it reached 60 percent of related age groups in 2023. This is the result of a thorough governmental plan aimed at increasing the number of specialists China needed for its economic development. The quality of university education in China also increased a lot throughout these years. Nowadays, two Chinese institutions, Tsinghua University and Peking University, regularly reach the highest positions in international university rankings, while a broad group of institutions are continuously improving into the midfield of international universities. However, competition for admission to the elite universities is fierce and the quality of many lower level colleges is not comparable to higher international standards. Types of tertiary education in China China generally differentiates between universities, providing four-year bachelor, master and doctorate programs, and higher vocational colleges, providing more practically oriented three-year, short-cycle degree programs. In addition, it is possible to obtain degrees at public institutes for adult education and from online and self-learning courses provided by public institutions. The number of students enrolled in degree programs at all different levels of public tertiary education in China reached more than 47.6 million in 2023. In addition to public institutions, there is also a growing number of students enrolled at private colleges and universities. However, these private institutions are generally not as esteemed and work on a lower level than their public counterparts.

Analysis of ‘State University of New York (SUNY) - NYS High School Attended by First Time Undergraduate Students: Beginning Fall 2010’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/245345ad-21d9-43cf-b820-0cc771ae12be on 12 February 2022.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

Report by NYS High School of the number of SUNY First Time Undergraduates entering in the Term, who reported attending that High School. The total number of First Time Undergraduates at SUNY from each High School is provided. The total is sub-divided by the SUNY Sector of the Institution the student is attending; Doctoral, Comprehensive, Technology and Community College. The report also provides a total count by NYS County, which is an aggregate of all the high schools in that County.

--- Original source retains full ownership of the source dataset ---

In 2023, Brazilian universities had more than 3.3 million newly enrolled students in distance learning programs. Even before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, distance learning education in Brazil was growing at a remarkable pace. Furthermore, the overall number of undergraduate students enrolled in distance education programs in universities in Brazil has increased recently.

Report by NYS High School of the number of SUNY First Time Undergraduates entering in the Term, who reported attending that High School. The total number of First Time Undergraduates at SUNY from each High School is provided. The total is sub-divided by the SUNY Sector of the Institution the student is attending; Doctoral, Comprehensive, Technology and Community College. The report also provides a total count by NYS County, which is an aggregate of all the high schools in that County.

This dataset contains the total annual unduplicated enrollment headcount and percentages by race and gender for undergraduate and graduate students at public community colleges and state universities in Massachusetts since 2014.

This dataset is 1 of 2 datasets that is also published in the interactive Annual Enrollment dashboard on the Department of Higher Education Data Center:

Public Postsecondary Annual Enrollment Public Postsecondary Annual Enrollment by Race and Gender

Related datasets: Public Postsecondary Fall Enrollment Public Postsecondary Fall Enrollment by Race and Gender

Notes: - Data appear as reported to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. - Annual enrollment refers to a 12 month enrollment period over one fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). - Figures published by DHE may differ slightly from figures published by other institutions and organizations due to differences in timing of publication, data definitions, and calculation logic. - Data for the University of Massachusetts are not included due to unique reporting requirements. See Fall Enrollment for HEIRS data on UMass enrollment. -The most common measure of enrollment is headcount of enrolled students. Annual headcount enrollment is unduplicated, meaning any individual student is only counted once per institution and fiscal year, even if they are enrolled in multiple terms. Enrollment can also be measured as full-time equivalent (FTE) students, a calculation based on the sum of credits carried by all enrolled students. In a fiscal year, 30 undergraduate credits = 1 undergraduate FTE, and 24 graduate credits = 1 graduate FTE at a state university.

Number of home institution students attending a SUNY campus by level (Undergraduate/Graduate) and load status (full-time, part-time). SUNY System combined annual enrollment since 1948.

Last update: April 2013 Was added to StatsWales: April 2013 Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Contact: post16ed.stats@wales.gsi.gov.uk The information in this table is taken from Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK available on the HESA web-site at www.hesa.ac.uk/pi. A Guide to Performance Indicators in Higher Education is also available at this web-site. The indicators are designed to provide reliable information on the nature and performance of the higher education sector in the UK. The performance indicators broadly cover access to higher education, non-continuation rates and outcomes. Indicators relate to higher education institutions in the individual countries of the UK. The Performance Indicators Steering Group (PISG) has led the development of these indicators. Members are drawn from the four higher education funding bodies for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (HEFCE, SHEFC, HEFCW, DEL); the Department for Education and Skills and other government departments, the Higher Education Statistics Agency, and universities and colleges through their representative bodies (Universities UK and SCOP) Since 2002/03 HESA has published the Performance Indicators on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) who published them previously. A number of changes were introduced for the 2002/03 publication; further details can be found at www.hesa.ac.uk/pi . The access indicators relate to students starting in 2004/05; the indicators of non-continuation (students who do not continue after their first year) and of non-completion (students who drop out and do not resume later or transfer elsewhere) relate to the cohort starting in 2003/04. The disability indicator covers all students, not just entrants, on undergraduate programmes in 2004/05. WIDENING ACCESS: PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG FIRST DEGREE ENTRANTS FROM STATE SCHOOLS OR COLLEGES. School type is taken from previous institution attended. All schools or colleges that are not denoted ‘independent’ are assumed to be state schools. This means that students from sixth-form or further education colleges, for example, are included as being from state schools.

This dataset contains the total annual FTE and unduplicated headcount enrollment for undergraduate and graduate students at public community colleges and state universities in Massachusetts since 2014.

This dataset is 1 of 2 datasets that is also published in the interactive Annual Enrollment dashboard on the Department of Higher Education Data Center:

Public Postsecondary Annual Enrollment Public Postsecondary Annual Enrollment by Race and Gender

Related datasets: Public Postsecondary Fall Enrollment Public Postsecondary Fall Enrollment by Race and Gender

Notes: - Data appear as reported to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. - Annual enrollment refers to a 12 month enrollment period over one fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). - Figures published by DHE may differ slightly from figures published by other institutions and organizations due to differences in timing of publication, data definitions, and calculation logic. - Data for the University of Massachusetts are not included due to unique reporting requirements. See Fall Enrollment for HEIRS data on UMass enrollment. -The most common measure of enrollment is headcount of enrolled students. Annual headcount enrollment is unduplicated, meaning any individual student is only counted once per institution and fiscal year, even if they are enrolled in multiple terms. Enrollment can also be measured as full-time equivalent (FTE) students, a calculation based on the sum of credits carried by all enrolled students. In a fiscal year, 30 undergraduate credits = 1 undergraduate FTE, and 24 graduate credits = 1 graduate FTE at a state university.

Number of Students: Karnataka: Colleges data was reported at 1,769,083.000 Person in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,661,251.000 Person for 2020. Number of Students: Karnataka: Colleges data is updated yearly, averaging 1,429,524.000 Person from Sep 2010 (Median) to 2021, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,769,083.000 Person in 2021 and a record low of 1,178,153.000 Person in 2010. Number of Students: Karnataka: Colleges data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Education. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDD005: Number of Students: Colleges.

In 2023, there were approximately 2.95 million students enrolled at Japanese universities, up from about 2.85 million students in 2014. Of the total, nearly 46 percent were female students in 2023.  The 6-3-3-4 education System  Japan’s education system is often specified to have a 6-3-3-4–system, referring to the norm of six years in elementary school, three years in middle and high school respectively, and four years in university. Even though mandatory education ends after middle school, the majority of students follow this path before entering employment. While social studies is the most popular major among undergraduates, most students coming back to university for a master's degree matriculate into engineering courses. However, it is more common in Japan to find employment straight after graduation from undergraduate programs. Accordingly, the number of students who visit graduate courses is significantly lower than those who visit undergraduate courses.  Entrance examinations and preparation Every year, Japanese universities hold entrance exams to select new students for the following academic year from a large number of applicants. The entrance exams are notably difficult, forcing students in their last year of high school to cram and visit supplementary tutoring schools to prepare. The number of students visiting tutorial schools, and subsequently the sales value of these schools, continued to grow in the past years. Due to the declining birthrate, however, the overall number of students is expected to ultimately decrease, presenting financial challenges for the education business in Japan.