More than 40 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds in the country are enrolled in college. Described below are the racial and ethnic background and gender of those students as well as older ones, along with a broader portrait in numbers of the condition of higher education today. For data broken down by state, see the “Compare the States” sortable tables.
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Demographics
Background in 2015
| Population | 321,418,821 |
| Proportion who speak a language other than English at home | 21.5% |
| Per capita income | $29,979 |
| Poverty rate | 14.7% |
| New high-school graduates for 2017-18 (estimate) | 3,459,579 |
| Projected change in new high-school graduates from 2017-18 to 2027-28 | -4.4% |
| High-school dropout rate | 4.0% |
| 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college | 42.5% |
Age distribution in 2015
| Up to 4 | 6.2% |
| 5 to 14 | 12.8% |
| 15 to 19 | 6.7% |
| 20 to 24 | 7.0% |
| 25 to 44 | 26.4% |
| 45 to 64 | 26.1% |
| 65 and older | 14.9% |
Racial and ethnic distribution in 2015
| American Indian | 0.8% |
| Asian | 5.4% |
| Black | 12.7% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.2% |
| White | 73.1% |
| 2 or more races | 3.1% |
| Hispanic (may be any race) | 17.6% |
| Other | 4.8% |
Educational attainment of adults
| 8th grade or less | 5.5% |
| Some high school, no diploma | 7.3% |
| High-school diploma | 27.6% |
| Some college, no degree | 20.7% |
| Associate degree | 8.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 19.0% |
| Master’s degree | 8.2% |
| Doctoral degree | 1.4% |
| Professional degree | 2.0% |
Faculty pay
Average pay of full-time professors in 2015-16
| Public doctoral institutions: professor | $125,694 |
| Public doctoral institutions: associate professor | $87,216 |
| Public doctoral institutions: assistant professor | $75,471 |
| Public doctoral institutions: all | $90,106 |
| Public master’s institutions: professor | $90,773 |
| Public master’s institutions: associate professor | $73,432 |
| Public master’s institutions: assistant professor | $63,300 |
| Public master’s institutions: all | $70,969 |
| Private nonprofit doctoral institutions: professor | $161,104 |
| Private nonprofit doctoral institutions: associate professor | $99,281 |
| Private nonprofit doctoral institutions: assistant professor | $82,806 |
| Private nonprofit doctoral institutions: all | $110,518 |
| Private nonprofit master’s institutions: professor | $89,439 |
| Private nonprofit master’s institutions: associate professor | $71,688 |
| Private nonprofit master’s institutions: assistant professor | $60,971 |
| Private nonprofit master’s institutions: all | $68,440 |
| Other 4-year public institutions institutions: all | $72,723 |
| Other 4-year private nonprofit institutions: all | $69,736 |
| 2-year public colleges institutions: all | $61,220 |
| 2-year private nonprofit institutions: all | $39,624 |
Students
Test scores in 2016
| ACT | 20.8 |
| SAT (critical-reading and math sections only) | 1002 |
Residency
| Freshmen who graduated from high school in the previous year and attended college in their home state | 83% |
Enrollment by level in fall 2015
| Undergraduate | 17,056,087 |
| Graduate and professional | 2,953,995 |
Enrollment by sector in fall 2015
| 4-year public | 8,355,114 |
| 4-year private nonprofit | 4,040,671 |
| 4-year for-profit | 1,123,605 |
| 2-year public | 6,215,666 |
| 2-year private nonprofit | 50,049 |
| 2-year for-profit | 224,977 |
| Total | 20,010,082 |
Share of enrollment in fall 2015
| Public institutions | 72.8% |
| 4-year institutions | 67.6% |
| 2-year institutions | 32.4% |
| Full-time | 61.5% |
Degrees awarded in 2014-15
| Associate | 1,012,068 |
| Bachelor’s | 1,894,359 |
| Master’s | 762,591 |
| Doctorate | 178,818 |
Diversity
Enrollment in fall 2015
| American Indian | 139,877 |
| Asian | 1,172,572 |
| Black | 2,521,762 |
| Pacific Islander | 52,475 |
| Hispanic (may be any race) | 3,147,295 |
| White | 10,348,098 |
| 2 or more races | 625,615 |
| Race unknown | 1,020,278 |
| Nonresident aliens | 982,110 |
| Total | 20,010,082 |
Share of enrollment in fall 2015
| Women | 56.3% |
| American Indian | 0.7% |
| Asian | 5.9% |
| Black | 12.6% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.3% |
| Hispanic (may be any race) | 15.7% |
| White | 51.7% |
| 2 or more races | 3.1% |
| Race unknown | 5.1% |
| Nonresident aliens | 4.9% |
| Minority | 38.3% |
| Underrepresented minority | 29.0% |
6-year graduation rates at 4-year institutions in 2015
| All | 59.8% |
| Men | 56.5% |
| Women | 62.6% |
| American Indian | 41.8% |
| Asian | 73.2% |
| Black | 39.9% |
| Hispanic (may be any race) | 54.1% |
| White | 63.7% |
| 2 or more races | 59.6% |
| Race unknown | 51.2% |
Finance
Tuition and fees in 2015-16
| 4-year public institutions | $8,726 |
| 4-year private nonprofit | $31,137 |
| 2-year public | $3,029 |
State funds for higher-education operating expenses in 2016-17
| Total state funds (excludes the District of Columbia and Illinois) | $82,144,309,804 |
| One-year change from 2015-16 to 2016-17 | 2.7% |
Total state spending on student aid in 2014-15
| Need-based grants | $8,011,911,358 |
| Non-need-based grants | $2,496,018,506 |
| Nongrant aid | $1,886,819,563 |
| Total | $12,394,749,427 |
Research-and development spending by colleges in 2014-15
| Total | $68,514,317,000 |
| One-year change | 2.2% |
Sources of R&D money in 2014-15
| Federal government | 55.1% |
| State and local governments | 5.6% |
| Industry | 5.8% |
| Nonprofit | 6.2% |
| Institution itself | 24.3% |
| Other | 3.0% |
Shares of R&D support for specific research fields in 2014-15
| Engineering | 16.1% |
| Environmental sciences | 4.7% |
| Life sciences | 56.5% |
| Math and computer sciences | 3.8% |
| Physical sciences | 6.9% |
| Psychology | 1.7% |
| Social sciences | 3.4% |
| Other sciences | 1.6% |
| Fields other than science and engineering | 5.3% |
Institutions
Distribution by sector in 2015-16
| 4-year public | 710 |
| 4-year private nonprofit | 1,594 |
| 4-year for-profit | 700 |
| 2-year public | 910 |
| 2-year private nonprofit | 106 |
| 2-year for-profit | 562 |
| Total | 4,582 |
3 largest in fall 2015
| U of Phoenix-Arizona | 165,743 |
| Ivy Tech Community College-Central Indiana | 81,668 |
| Liberty U. | 80,494 |
About the data
Data cover all degree-granting institutions eligible to receive Title IV federal financial aid, unless otherwise specified. Data on state population, age distribution, racial and ethnic distribution, educational attainment, the proportion of state residents who speak a language other than English at home, per capita income, the poverty rate, and the high-school dropout rate are from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey. The Census Bureau considers ethnicity separately from race. Hispanics may be of any race, and they are counted within their racial group as well as by their ethnicity. Poverty rates vary by family size and composition. In 2015, the average threshold for a family of four was $24,257.
The percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college in 2015 is based on a U.S. Department of Education table. The estimated number of new high-school graduates and projected 10-year change are based on data from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Residence of new students is derived from U.S. Department of Education numbers from 2014, the latest year for which data are available.
Overall enrollment and enrollment by race and ethnicity are from the U.S. Department of Education for the fall of 2015. Minority enrollment represents American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asians, blacks, Hispanics, Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, and students of two or more races. “Underrepresented minorities” are American Indian, black, and Hispanic students. Racial categories exclude people of Hispanic ethnicity, who are shown separately and may be of any race. “Nonresident aliens” are natives of foreign countries who are studying in the United States on a temporary basis.
Average pay of full-time professors is from the 2015-16 academic year, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education, and are adjusted to a standard nine-month work year. Medical-school faculty members are excluded. The number of degrees awarded are based on U.S. Department of Education data collected for the 2014-15 academic year. Professional degrees like medical and law degrees are included in the number of doctorates. Average tuition and fees cover undergraduate charges for 2015-16 and are weighted by the full-time-equivalent undergraduate enrollment in the previous year. Figures for public institutions represent charges to state residents. Six-year graduation rates are for first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students who entered degree-granting four-year institutions in the fall of 2009 and graduated within six years. Those figures are also from the U.S. Department of Education.
SAT scores are for 2016; figures are from the College Board. ACT scores are also for 2016. Total state funds for higher-education operating expenses are from 2016-17, and one-year change reflects the difference between the latest figure and the one for 2015-16; data are from the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University. Illinois data are being reviewed and are not yet available.
Total state spending on student aid is for 2014-15; data are from the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs. Data on research-and-development spending by colleges is based on National Science Foundation data from 2014-15.
The overall number of institutions and the three largest institutions in the country are derived from fall-2015 enrollment data from the U.S. Department of Education. Enrollment figures include full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students.