Overview
- Undergraduate enrollment rose 1.2%, led by community colleges up 3.0% and public four-year institutions up 1.4%, while private nonprofit four-year colleges fell 1.6% and for-profits dropped 12.0%.
- Graduate enrollment slipped 0.3%, driven by a 5.9% decline in international graduate students—about 10,000 fewer—while international undergraduates grew 3.2%, well below 2024’s pace.
- Community college gains were buoyed by dual-enrollment high school students, who accounted for 38.4% of the increase—about 66,000 more learners under age 18.
- Field-by-field shifts were stark, with computer and information science enrollments declining sharply, including a 14% drop at the graduate level, as engineering, health professions, and public administration posted solid gains.
- Regional results diverged, with the South up 3.1% and the Northeast recording a slight 0.4% decline.