Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    An AI-Driven Work Force
    University Transformation
Sign In
VCU College of Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth U.<br/><br/>
VCU College of Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth U.
David Sundberg/ESTO

STUDENTS

2020-2021 ALMANAC DATA HIGHLIGHTS

Data
August 16, 2020

Enrollment, aid, and student characteristics are the focus of this year’s student data. New tables this year include three that examine Pell Grant recipients: those recipients broken down by family income, which institutions in each sector enrolled the most Pell Grant students, and how the average Pell Grant has increased and decreased over 20 years. Pell-eligible students made up almost half of people who led a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, who were more likely to be women than men.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Enrollment, aid, and student characteristics are the focus of this year’s student data. New tables this year include three that examine Pell Grant recipients: those recipients broken down by family income, which institutions in each sector enrolled the most Pell Grant students, and how the average Pell Grant has increased and decreased over 20 years. Pell-eligible students made up almost half of people who led a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, who were more likely to be women than men.

Here’s a sampling of statistics researched by The Chronicle data team.


section-insets-students01.jpg

More than 50 percent of all students, undergraduate and graduate, full and part time, were age 21 or younger in the fall of 2018. At for-profit four-year colleges, however, more than 50 percent were 30 or older.

Explore the data


section-insets-students02.jpg

Four-year public colleges were the most likely to have had 4 percent or more of undergraduates formally report that they had a disability to the campus’s office of disability services or a similar office.

Explore the data


section-insets-students03.jpg

Colleges with online offerings predominated among institutions with the most students receiving Post-9/11 GI Bill or Department of Defense Tuition Assistance benefits in 2017-18. The 15 institutions that enrolled the most students receiving Department of Defense Tuition Assistance benefits collected more than 60 percent of all such benefits in 2017-18.

Explore the data


More students data

  • Colleges With the Most Students Awarded Pell Grants by Sector, 2017-18
  • Transfer Students as a Percentage of Total Enrollment, Fall 2018
  • Fastest-Growing Colleges, 2008-18
  • Colleges With the Largest Enrollments, Fall 2018
  • Enrollment by Carnegie Classification, Fall 2018
  • Colleges With the Highest Admissions Selectivity, 2018-19
  • Recipients of Title IV Federal Financial Aid, by Income Level and Sector
A version of this article appeared in the August 21, 2020, issue.
Read other items in The Almanac, 2020-2021.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

Black and white photo of the Morrill Hall building on the University of Minnesota campus with red covering one side.
Finance & operations
U. of Minnesota Tries to Soften the Blow of Tuition Hikes, Budget Cuts With Faculty Benefits
Photo illustration showing a figurine of a football player with a large price tag on it.
Athletics
Loans, Fees, and TV Money: Where Colleges Are Finding the Funds to Pay Athletes
Photo illustration of a donation jar turned on it's side, with coins spilling out.
Access & Affordability
Congressional Republicans Want to End Grad PLUS Loans. How Might It Affect Your Campus?
Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. delivers remarks during the State Board of Education meeting at Winter Park High School, Wednesday, March 27, 2024.
Executive Privilege
In Florida, University Presidents’ Pay Goes Up. Is Politics to Blame?

From The Review

Photo-based illustration of a tentacle holding a microscope
The Review | Essay
In Defense of ‘Silly’ Science
By Carly Anne York
Illustration showing a graduate's hand holding a college diploma and another hand but a vote into a ballot box
The Review | Essay
Civics Education Is Back. It Shouldn’t Belong to Conservatives.
By Timothy Messer-Kruse
Photo-based illustration of a hedges shaped like dollar signs in various degrees of having been over-trimmed by a shadowed Donald Trump figure carrying hedge trimmers.
The Review | Essay
What Will Be Left of Higher Ed in Four Years?
By Brendan Cantwell

Upcoming Events

Plain_Acuity_DurableSkills_VF.png
Why Employers Value ‘Durable’ Skills
Warwick_Leadership_Javi.png
University Transformation: A Global Leadership Perspective
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin