Just under 8 percent of all undergraduate students at the 50 flagship public institutions in the United States were 25 and older, but five flagships had an undergraduate population that was more than a fifth age 25 and over. At 33 of the institutions, more than half of those older undergraduates were attending school full time. At all flagships, the largest share of older students was 25 to 29. At four institutions — the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, the University of Delaware, the University of Virginia, and the University of Vermont — more than 10 percent of older undergraduates were ages 50 to 64.
| 1. | U. of Alaska at Fairbanks | 3,494 | 46.4% | 62.7% | 24.5% | 32.2% | 19.4% | 12.9% | 17.1% | 16.1% | 2.3% |
| 2. | U. of Utah | 6,355 | 26.7% | 38.6% | 44.5% | 56.4% | 19.5% | 9.9% | 7.4% | 3.6% | 3.1% |
| 3. | U. of New Mexico | 5,361 | 25.1% | 53.9% | 41.7% | 40.6% | 22.1% | 12.7% | 14.0% | 8.4% | 2.2% |
| 4. | U. of Montana at Missoula | 2,611 | 24.2% | 49.8% | 68.7% | 49.8% | 21.5% | 12.1% | 10.2% | 5.9% | 0.4% |
| 5. | U. of Wyoming | 2,179 | 21.7% | 52.5% | 48.8% | 46.9% | 22.3% | 12.0% | 13.1% | 5.1% | 0.6% |
| 6. | U. of Hawaii-Manoa | 2,456 | 17.9% | 48.9% | 58.5% | 56.8% | 20.8% | 7.8% | 9.1% | 5.0% | 0.4% |
| 7. | U. of North Dakota | 1,995 | 17.2% | 33.6% | 36.9% | 45.0% | 25.4% | 14.3% | 10.9% | 4.3% | 0.1% |
| 8. | U. of South Dakota | 1,227 | 16.5% | 66.9% | 26.6% | 44.1% | 25.3% | 13.4% | 12.7% | 4.1% | 0.4% |
| 9. | U. of Nevada at Reno | 2,329 | 13.1% | 50.8% | 50.7% | 51.0% | 21.4% | 10.6% | 10.5% | 5.8% | 0.7% |
| 10. | U. of Idaho | 1,132 | 12.4% | 42.1% | 62.2% | 47.5% | 20.0% | 10.4% | 13.2% | 7.2% | 1.8% |
| 11. | U. of Oklahoma at Norman | 2,607 | 12.2% | 41.6% | 48.7% | 45.1% | 23.1% | 11.9% | 13.7% | 5.6% | 0.7% |
| 12. | U. of Minnesota-Twin Cities | 3,496 | 10.3% | 42.6% | 48.7% | 50.8% | 18.7% | 9.6% | 8.3% | 6.4% | 6.2% |
| 13. | U. of Kansas | 1,869 | 9.7% | 44.0% | 55.6% | 54.5% | 22.3% | 9.4% | 8.2% | 3.9% | 1.7% |
| 14. | U. of Arkansas at Fayetteville | 2,132 | 9.6% | 48.4% | 47.1% | 50.1% | 20.1% | 12.2% | 10.6% | 6.0% | 1.1% |
| 15. | U. of Washington | 2,811 | 9.0% | 50.7% | 60.8% | 48.6% | 23.3% | 10.3% | 12.3% | 5.1% | 0.4% |
| 16. | U. of Maine at Orono | 796 | 8.6% | 44.0% | 51.6% | 46.6% | 20.9% | 11.1% | 11.9% | 6.0% | 3.5% |
| 17. | U. of Mississippi | 1,608 | 8.6% | 62.7% | 57.8% | 44.1% | 20.7% | 12.2% | 16.0% | 5.8% | 1.2% |
| 18. | U. of Alabama at Tuscaloosa | 2,590 | 8.1% | 51.4% | 35.6% | 42.5% | 20.5% | 13.4% | 15.3% | 7.8% | 0.6% |
| 19. | U. of Iowa | 1,879 | 8.0% | 51.9% | 43.1% | 46.9% | 21.6% | 11.1% | 12.3% | 7.6% | 0.4% |
| 20. | U. of Oregon | 1,648 | 8.0% | 39.7% | 69.8% | 59.6% | 17.2% | 10.5% | 8.5% | 4.0% | 0.1% |
| 21. | U. of Arizona | 2,657 | 8.0% | 40.2% | 66.6% | 57.7% | 22.6% | 7.9% | 7.8% | 3.7% | 0.3% |
| 22. | Ohio State U. | 3,602 | 8.0% | 41.3% | 51.9% | 55.4% | 19.9% | 10.4% | 9.4% | 4.7% | 0.2% |
| 23. | Rutgers U. at New Brunswick | 2,777 | 7.8% | 53.8% | 56.6% | 55.1% | 18.1% | 9.4% | 11.3% | 5.8% | 0.3% |
| 24. | U. of Massachusetts at Amherst | 1,754 | 7.7% | 55.7% | 37.4% | 40.4% | 20.2% | 12.5% | 16.6% | 9.9% | 0.3% |
| 25. | U. of Tennessee at Knoxville | 1,638 | 7.5% | 41.3% | 64.0% | 59.4% | 19.4% | 9.1% | 8.7% | 2.7% | 0.7% |
| 26. | U. at Buffalo | 1,494 | 7.5% | 40.8% | 66.7% | 67.0% | 17.3% | 6.9% | 5.6% | 2.8% | 0.4% |
| 27. | U. of Rhode Island | 1,003 | 7.4% | 50.0% | 40.7% | 47.5% | 17.0% | 12.5% | 13.2% | 9.2% | 0.7% |
| 28. | U. of Kentucky | 1,659 | 7.3% | 42.4% | 57.6% | 54.0% | 20.9% | 9.6% | 9.8% | 4.3% | 1.3% |
| 29. | U. of Maryland at College Park | 1,793 | 6.5% | 42.2% | 61.3% | 66.4% | 16.6% | 7.1% | 5.5% | 2.6% | 1.7% |
| 30. | West Virginia U. | 1,450 | 6.4% | 44.9% | 61.4% | 55.0% | 17.4% | 9.9% | 11.7% | 5.9% | 0.1% |
| 31. | U. of Colorado at Boulder | 1,749 | 6.4% | 35.4% | 60.8% | 63.2% | 18.9% | 7.8% | 6.7% | 3.1% | 0.2% |
| 32. | U. of Vermont | 701 | 6.4% | 56.1% | 25.1% | 36.2% | 21.3% | 11.3% | 13.6% | 10.3% | 7.4% |
| 33. | U. of California at Berkeley | 1,686 | 6.1% | 42.2% | 83.8% | 60.1% | 21.9% | 8.4% | 6.0% | 3.2% | 0.3% |
| 34. | U. of South Carolina at Columbia | 1,482 | 5.9% | 45.5% | 61.4% | 52.6% | 18.1% | 9.6% | 10.8% | 6.5% | 2.4% |
| 35. | U. of Nebraska at Lincoln | 1,117 | 5.5% | 30.4% | 60.4% | 61.7% | 19.2% | 7.9% | 7.8% | 3.3% | 0.2% |
| 36. | Louisiana State U. at Baton Rouge | 1,356 | 5.2% | 36.7% | 62.6% | 59.0% | 20.3% | 9.2% | 7.2% | 3.8% | 0.5% |
| 37. | U. of Wisconsin at Madison | 1,577 | 5.1% | 46.5% | 36.7% | 49.8% | 21.2% | 11.0% | 10.7% | 6.3% | 1.0% |
| 38. | U. of Florida | 1,541 | 4.6% | 38.9% | 51.6% | 59.5% | 20.9% | 8.2% | 7.4% | 3.8% | 0.2% |
| 39. | U. of Virginia | 762 | 4.6% | 56.2% | 23.5% | 34.9% | 20.3% | 13.4% | 14.7% | 12.3% | 4.3% |
| 40. | U. of Texas at Austin | 1,694 | 4.3% | 37.4% | 58.3% | 57.9% | 22.4% | 9.4% | 7.4% | 2.2% | 0.6% |
| 41. | U. of Delaware | 784 | 4.1% | 55.9% | 27.6% | 42.1% | 16.3% | 10.7% | 12.0% | 12.6% | 6.3% |
| 42. | U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 710 | 3.9% | 53.2% | 66.2% | 53.9% | 19.6% | 11.4% | 11.3% | 3.5% | 0.3% |
| 43. | U. of Georgia | 938 | 3.4% | 42.0% | 57.2% | 61.3% | 15.2% | 11.3% | 6.0% | 3.6% | 2.6% |
| 44. | U. of Missouri at Columbia | 940 | 3.4% | 43.6% | 52.6% | 56.4% | 19.5% | 9.8% | 9.9% | 4.1% | 0.3% |
| 45. | U. of Connecticut | 579 | 3.1% | 38.2% | 68.0% | 63.2% | 16.4% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 4.0% | 0.9% |
| 46. | U. of New Hampshire | 382 | 2.9% | 34.0% | 74.1% | 60.2% | 18.8% | 7.1% | 7.1% | 5.8% | 1.0% |
| 47. | Pennsylvania State U. at University Park | 991 | 2.4% | 26.2% | 64.1% | 57.6% | 14.5% | 7.3% | 9.0% | 7.7% | 3.9% |
| 48. | Indiana U. at Bloomington | 835 | 2.2% | 40.5% | 56.9% | 61.0% | 17.5% | 7.9% | 7.4% | 5.5% | 0.7% |
| 49. | U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 674 | 2.0% | 26.3% | 73.4% | 67.7% | 16.0% | 6.4% | 4.9% | 4.6% | 0.4% |
| 50. | U. of Michigan at Ann Arbor | 498 | 1.8% | 31.9% | 69.1% | 65.3% | 17.9% | 6.6% | 6.4% | 3.4% | 0.4% |
| | All 50 flagship institutions | 91,398 | 7.9% | 45.9% | 51.8% | 51.6% | 20.3% | 10.4% | 10.5% | 5.8% | 1.4% |
Note: Enrollment figures include all undergraduate students — full-time and part-time, degree-or-certificate-seeking and non-degree-seeking — in the fall of 2015. Percentages are rounded, but institutions were ranked before rounding. Questions or comments on the Chronicle List should be sent to Ruth Hammond.
Source: Chronicle analysis of U.S. Department of Education data