Postsecondary Education
Last Updated: May 2024
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The overall college enrollment rate for 18- to 24-year-olds was lower in 2022 than a decade earlier in 2012 (39 vs. 41 percent). The rate in 2022 was higher for 18- to 24-year-olds who were Asian (61 percent) than for those who were White (41 percent), of Two or more races (36 percent), Black (36 percent), Hispanic (33 percent), Pacific Islander (27 percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native (26 percent).
The overall college enrollment rate for 18- to 24-year-olds (the age range representing the majority of students who are enrolled in college1) was 39 percent in 2022.2 In this indicator, college enrollment rate is defined as the percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled as undergraduate or graduate students in 2- or 4-year institutions. The Immediate College Enrollment Rate indicator alternatively presents data on the percentage of high school completers who enroll in 2- or 4-year institutions in the fall immediately following high school.
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Overall College Enrollment Rates
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A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
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NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. Includes 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college or graduate school. Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Figures are plotted based on unrounded data. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding in the data labels.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October Supplement, 1970 through 2022. See Digest of Education Statistics 2023, table 302.60.
The overall college enrollment rate for 18- to 24-year-olds fluctuated over the last decade but was lower in 2022 than in 2012 (39 vs. 41 percent). Looking at enrollment rates by institution level over the same period, the rate for 2-year institutions decreased from 13 to 9 percent. In contrast, the rate for 4-year institutions increased from 28 to 31 percent during this period. [Level of institution]
College Enrollment Rates by Student Demographics
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A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
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! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. Includes 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college or graduate school. Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Figures are plotted based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October Supplement, 2012 and 2022. See Digest of Education Statistics 2023, table 302.60.
Among 18- to 24-year-olds, there was no measurable difference between college enrollment rates in 2012 and 2022 for most racial/ethnic groups. However, for those who were Hispanic, the rate was lower in 2022 than in 2012 (33 vs. 37 percent). [Race/ethnicity]
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In 2022, the college enrollment rate for 18- to 24-year-olds was higher for those who were Asian (61 percent) than for those of all other racial/ethnic groups:
- White (41 percent)
- Two or more races (36 percent)
- Black (36 percent)
- Hispanic (33 percent)
- Pacific Islander (27 percent)
- American Indian/Alaska Native (26 percent)
In fact, the college enrollment rate for those who were Asian was higher than the rates for those who were White, of Two or more races, Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native in every year from 2012 through 2022. [Race/ethnicity]
Previous Finding
In 2022, and in most years over the prior decade, the college enrollment rate for White 18- to 24-year-olds was also higher than the rates for those who were Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native. There were no other measurable differences between racial/ethnic groups in 2022. [Race/ethnicity]
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A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
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1 Total includes other racial/ethnic groups not shown separately.
NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. Includes 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college or graduate school. Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Figures are plotted based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October Supplement, 2012 and 2022. See Digest of Education Statistics 2023, table 302.60.
In every year since 2012, the college enrollment rate for 18- to 24-year-olds overall was higher for females than for males. Looking at this pattern by race/ethnicity, the enrollment rate for females was also higher than the rate for males in each year for both White and Hispanic 18- to 24-year-olds. Among those who were Black, the rate was higher for females than for males in 6 of the last 11 years3 and not measurably different in the remaining years. Among Asian 18- to 24-year-olds, the rate was not measurably different between females and males in any year during this period.4 [Race/ethnicity] [Sex or gender]
Previous Finding
In 2022, the college enrollment rates for 18- to 24-year-old females overall (44 percent) and for females who were Asian (64 percent), White (46 percent), Black (39 percent), and Hispanic (39 percent) did not measurably differ from the rates in 2012. In contrast, the overall rate for males decreased from 38 to 34 percent over this period. For Hispanic 18- to 24-year-old males, the rate in 2022 was lower than the rate in 2012 (27 vs. 34 percent). Meanwhile, the rates in 2022 for 18- to 24-year-old males who were Asian (58 percent), White (36 percent), and Black (32 percent) did not measurably differ from the rates in 2012. The overall gap between males and females in enrollment rates in 2022 (10 percentage points) was not measurably different from the gap in 2012. [Race/ethnicity] [Sex or gender]
Previous Finding
1The 18–24 age range was determined based on student enrollment at degree-granting institutions, whereas the rest of the indicator is not restricted to degree-granting institutions. For more information about fall enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, see Digest of Education Statistics 2023, table 303.40.
2For general technical notes related to data analysis, data interpretation, rounding, and other considerations, please refer to the Reader’s Guide.
3The college enrollment rate was higher for Black females than for Black males in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021.
4This section includes analyses by race/ethnicity and sex for Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White 18- to 24-year-olds only.
Supplemental Information
College Participation Rates [Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups]
Immediate College Enrollment Rate
Snapshot: College Participation Rates for Racial/Ethnic Subgroups [Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups]
Undergraduate Enrollment
Young Adult Educational and Employment Outcomes by Family Socioeconomic Status [The Condition of Education 2019 Spotlight]
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Table 302.60 (Digest 2023): Percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college, by level of institution and sex and race/ethnicity of student: 1970 through 2022
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CollegeEnrollmentGapRacial/ethnic group
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College Enrollment Rates - May 2023
College Enrollment Rates - May 2022
College Enrollment Rates - May 2021
College Enrollment Rates - May 2020
College Enrollment Rates - May 2019
College Enrollment Rates - May 2018
College Enrollment Rates - May 2017
College Participation Rates - May 2016
College Participation Rates - November 2015
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Suggested Citation
National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). College Enrollment Rates.Condition of Education.U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved [date], fromhttps://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cpb.
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