College Enrollment Continues to Climb, Nearing Recovery
Ashley Mowreader
May 22, 2025
Enrollments have grown for graduate schools, certificate programs and community colleges, but undergraduate numbers still remain behind pre-pandemic levels.
Undergraduate enrollment remains slightly below 2020 levels, but college enrollment as a whole is making a steady recovery, driven in part by growth in certificate programs and at two-year public institutions, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
The clearinghouse’s latest report, published Wednesday, shows 18.4 million students were enrolled in higher education this spring, a 3.2 percent year-over-year increase.
Undergraduate enrollment jumped 3.5 percent from spring 2024 but remains down 2.4 percent from 2020. Similarly, graduate enrollment grew 1.5 percent—to 3.1 million students—compared to spring 2024, and 7.2 percent from 2020.
