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Enrollment Change From Previous Year, by Sector, Fall 2015 to Spring 2017

Almanac 2017

August 13, 2017

Four-year public institutions were the only sector with consistently positive growth over the past two years, though their overall enrollment increase was slight. For-profit institutions, which faced increased government scrutiny and closures, had the steepest enrollment drop.

Return to the Almanac home page, or go to the Profession, Students, Finance, or States section. To purchase a copy of the Almanac in print or as a downloadable interactive PDF, visit the Chronicle Store.

Sector	Fall 2015	Spring 2016	Fall 2016	Spring 2017
All sectors	–1.7%	–1.3%	–1.4%	–1.5%

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Return to the Almanac home page, or go to the Profession, Students, Finance, or States section. To purchase a copy of the Almanac in print or as a downloadable interactive PDF, visit the Chronicle Store.

Sector	Fall 2015	Spring 2016	Fall 2016	Spring 2017
All sectors	–1.7%	–1.3%	–1.4%	–1.5%
4-year public institutions	0.8%	1.0%	0.2%	0.2%
4-year private nonprofit institutions	–0.3%	0.7%	–0.6%	–0.2%
4-year for-profit institutions	–13.7%	–9.3%	–14.5%	–10.1%
2-year public institutions	–2.9%	–3.3%	–2.6%	–2.5%

Note: The chart shows the 12-month percentage change (fall to fall and spring to spring) for each term over the past two years. Data are limited to degree-granting institutions in the United States that are eligible to participate in Title IV federal student-aid programs. Ninety-seven percent of the enrollment covered in this chart was drawn from figures submitted by such institutions; the remainder was estimated. International students were excluded. More data are available at nscresearchcenter.org.

Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, “Current Term Enrollment Estimates — Spring 2017”