Peak college enrollment in the United States was reached in 2010 with 21 million students. After 2010, structural, demographic, economic, and policy factors converged, causing enrollment to decline. By 2019, it had fallen to 19 million. In 2020-22, due to the pandemic, enrollment fell to 18 million. In 2023, many observers predicted that college enrollment would never reach pre-pandemic levels and would continue its decline.
However, despite predictions to the contrary, college enrollment has increased for the third straight year. Total headcount at undergraduate and graduate schools now exceeds 19.4 million, making 2025 the largest enrollment year since 2010, according to a report released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (the Center). Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, the Washington Post’s education editor, has stated that “The Clearinghouse has been a trusted source for enrollment trends in higher education because it collects information from 97% of the 3,600 degree-granting institutions in the country.”
The Center’s Report
The Center’s Fall Enrollment Trends report is published every January. It provides final enrollment information for the fall term derived from the Center’s database. The report includes national enrollment figures by credential type, sector, and characteristics such as location, selectivity, major field, and student demographics (age, race/ethnicity, gender).
Postsecondary enrollment in the United States grew 1% from fall 2024 to fall 2025 due to gains in undergraduate enrollment at community and public 4-year colleges. Graduate enrollment remained stable at -0.3% as undergraduate enrollment rose slightly by 1.2%. Undergraduate growth was driven by a 3% increase in community college enrollment combined with a 1.4% increase at public 4-year colleges. Private 4-year colleges declined in undergraduate enrollment by -1.6% at nonprofit and by -2.0% at for-profit colleges.
Matthew Holsapple, Senior Director of Research at the Center, noted that, “Overall enrollment is up slightly, but the real story is the shift between sectors. Community colleges and public universities are gaining ground, while private colleges are down — a clear departure from the broad-based growth of recent years.”
Other key findings include:
- Shift in International Enrollment Trend: Graduate international student enrollment declined 6% after years of steady growth. At the undergraduate level, there was an increase in international enrollment of 3.2%. However, this was less than half the rate increase for last year, which was 8.4%.
- Computer and Information Science Enrollment Decline: Computer and Information Science program enrollment declined across all types of colleges. Decreases ranged from 3.9% at undergraduate associate-baccalaureate colleges to 14% at the graduate level, signaling a notable shift in student choice.
- Undergraduate Certificate Growth:Undergraduate certificate and associate degree students grew by 1.9% and 2.2%, respectively, outpacing the growth in bachelor’s degree programs of 1%. After four consecutive years of increases, community colleges now enroll 752,000 students in undergraduate certificate programs, which is a 28.3% increase since fall 2021.
- Minority Enrollment: Enrollment among Black, Hispanic, Asian and multiracial students increased at both undergraduate and graduate levels, while White student enrollment declined. Researchers caution that the changes could be overstated because in recent years an increasing number of first-year students declined to reporttheir race or ethnicity to colleges.
- Low-Income Students: Students from low-income neighborhoods represented a greater increase in enrollment — 2% in the lower-middle quintile and 1.9% in the bottom quintile — than those from higher-income neighborhoods whose headcount rose by only 0.4%. The growth was especially notable at competitive four-year colleges, where enrollment among students from the lowest income neighborhoods grew by 2.1%.
Community Colleges
Community colleges served 8.6 million students in 2025, representing 40% of all undergraduates. More than a third of total growth in 2025 enrollees was the result of dual enrollment students, who comprised 10.3% of students in short-term certificate programs, a 28% increase since fall 2021. This growth could rise substantially this summer when students will be able to use Federal Pell Grants to pay for career training programs that meet certain criteria. The new policy, called the Workforce Pell, is intended to strengthen the role of community colleges in meeting demand from local labor markets.
Jeff Strohl, director of Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce, said that “People are taking shelter in school with economic uncertainty and the idea that the hiring market is tough, that it’s easier to get started at a community college. A certificate is kind of attractive because it has a known skill that an employer might be looking for attached to it.”
Public vs. Private Four-Year Colleges
The enrollment disparity at public and private nonprofit four-year colleges is striking because their respective headcounts typically rose and fell in tandem. The drop in total international enrollment is one reason for the drop in enrollment in the private four-year college sector. Private nonprofits traditionally enrolled the lion’s share of international students, especially at the graduate level.
Observers have noted that the decline of international students is not a referendum on academic quality or demand, but a reflection of national policy. The Trump administration has made it more difficult for foreign students to come to the U.S. by restricting travel from 19 countries and temporarily pausing all student visa screening interviews.
Graduate international enrollment declined by nearly 6% in the fall, a stark departure from the 50% growth rate between 2020 and 2024. In contrast, undergraduate international enrollment grew by 3.2%, driven primarily by growth at public four-year colleges.
Summary
Based on 2025 data, the Center’s 2026 report is cautiously positive for future enrollment. Minority and low-income student enrollment has increased while White student enrollment has declined. In the future, enrollment is projected to undergo fewer dramatic declines, more nuanced growth patterns, and a new balance favoring community colleges.
Private nonprofit colleges experienced enrollment declines, which portends continued difficulty for colleges that are highly dependent on tuition revenue. Public and community colleges are likely to expand while private nonprofit colleges contract.
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