The Current Term Enrollment Estimates report from the
National Student Clearinghouse
Research Center report revealed positive news for higher education, with undergraduate enrollment growing 1.2% and graduate enrollment growing 0.6%.
Among the three largest sectors, growth was highest at community colleges, which gained 118,000 students (+2.6%) after steep declines during the pandemic.
Other key findings include:
- Total postsecondary enrollment — undergraduate and graduate combined — increased 1.1% (+193,000).
- Freshman enrollment also grew this fall (+0.8%, +18,000) but at a slower rate than undergraduate enrollment overall.
- Enrollment in associate programs saw the highest growth (+2.2%, +96,000) among undergraduates. Bachelor’s programs grew at a lower rate (+0.7%, +63,000). Despite these gains, associate enrollment remains 14.2% below fall 2019 levels, and bachelor’s enrollment remains 3.3% below 2019.
- Undergraduate certificate programs notched a third consecutive year of fall term growth, gaining 18,000 students, although the growth rate (+1.8%) has slowed considerably from its high in fall 2021 (+9.8%). Certificate enrollment is 15.6 percent above 2019 levels.
- Dual enrollment (students 17 and younger) continued to increase at both community colleges (+5.2%, +44,000) and public PABs (+7.4%, +10,000). At the other end of the age spectrum, there was rare growth in enrollment of the oldest students (age 30+) at community colleges (+2.2%, +20,000).
