Top 12 Higher Ed Public Resources

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Top 12 Higher Education Public Resources

Intertwine shares the top public resources for Higher Education enrollments, retention, graduation rates, degrees conferred, and financial aid in the U.S. Click on any section to link directly to the source. Updated January 15, 2025

Enrollments

Key Takeaway

1

Higher Education Enrollment

NCS preliminary fall data shows a 3% increase in total postsecondary enrollment from fall 2023, despite a sharp decline in freshman enrollment (-5%). Undergraduate enrollment growth was especially strong at private for-profit 4-year (+4.9%) and public 2-year institutions (+4.7%).

18.2 Million

postsecondary students in fall, 2024

(Preliminary data)

National Student Clearinghouse

2

Freshman Enrollment Trends

Freshman enrollment increased by 3% in fall 2024 compared to fall 2023. All sectors saw growth in the number of undergraduates with Bachelor’s (+2%) and associate degree (+4%) programs seeing the biggest gains.

+3%

Increase in freshman enrollment -- fall, 2024 v. fall, 2023

National Student Clearinghouse

3

College Enrollment Rate

Shows recent downward trend in the percentage enrolled in college among individuals ages 16 to 24 who graduated high school or completed a GED in prior year.

62%

of high school grads enrolled in college in 2022

(Down from 66% in 2020)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022)

NCES Digest of Education Statistics (2021)

4

Dual Enrollment Rates

Shows nearly 2.5 million high school students took at least one dual enrollment course in the 2022-23 academic year. One in five community college students (21%) are a result of dual enrollment.

2.5 Million

dual enrollment students in

2022-2023 academic year

Community College Research Center

(Based on IPEDS Provisional Release)

Retention & College Graduation

5

Persistence & Retention

The national persistence rate for students who started college in the fall of 2022 rose to 76.5 percent (+0.8 v. the fall 2021 cohort). "This marks the second straight year of improved persistence and retention, with both rates higher than they have been at any point in the last decade."

23.5%

of first-year students did not

return to college the following fall

National Student Clearinghouse - Persistence & Retention

6

College Graduation Rates

Shows the College graduation rate of 4-year institution students, within 6 years of start.

NCES Digest of Education Statistics: Table 326.20

64.6%

of students who start college graduate with a four-year degree in 6 years

Degrees Conferred

7

Number & Type of Postsecondary Degrees Granted

The number of Bachelor's degrees granted in 2021 decreased slightly falling from 2.07M in 2021 to 2.02M in 2022. Graduate degrees increased slightly rising from 1.06 in 2021 to 1.8 in 2022.

2 Million

Bachelor's degrees granted in 2022

1.1 Million

Graduate degrees granted in 2022

NCES Digest of Education Statistics: Table 318.20

8

Percentage of Population with a College Degree

A steadily increasing percentage of the U.S. population has Bachelor's, Master's, Doctoral or Professional degrees.

88.8 Million

Americans have college degrees

(38% in 2022 vs. 30% in 2011)

US Census - Educational Attainment

9

Percentage of Adults with Degrees by State & County

Shows the percentage of the population aged 25+ with a Bachelor’s Degree (or higher) by state (overall and by race) 2018-2021.

% of adults

with college degrees varies dramatically by state & county

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, FRED Economic Data

Finances

10

Average Tuition

Shows average tuition costs for public four-year students rose $270 for 2023-24 (2.5% before adjusting for inflation).

$11,260

Average four-year public in-state tuition

$41,540

Average four-year private

College Board: Trends in College Pricing

11

Student Financial Aid

Average aid per full-time equivalent (FTE) student in 2022-23 was: $15,480 per undergraduate and $28,300 per graduate student.

$241 Billion

Total amount of aid that undergraduate and graduate students received in 2022-23

College Board

12

Pell Grants

The maximum Pell award is $7,395, a $500 increase from the previous year before adjusting for inflation. This is the largest one-year increase in maximum Pell since 2009-10, before adjusting for inflation.

$4,510

Average Pell Grant awarded in 2022-23

College Board: Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid

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