There are more than 20 million students in the colleges of the US. Most of the students take debt to complete their graduation, while more than 30% of the students reported that they graduated debt-free.
In the following article, I have compiled all the important statistics related to college students. We have covered everything about college students and their lives. I have compiled essential stats related to college students’ health, mental health, debts, loans, etc.
So, let’s get into the details!
Table of Contents
- College Student Statistics (Top Picks)
- General College Student statistics
- College Student Demographics
- College Enrollment Statistics
- College Student Enrollments by State 2024
- College Students Budget
- College Student Health Statistics
- College Student Mental Health Statistics
- Student Loan Debt Statistics
- College Student’s Life
College Student Statistics (Top Picks)
- 63% of the students reported that they have enrolled in full-time colleges.
- As of 2024, there are over 16.9 million who enrolled in degree-granting colleges and universities in the US.
- 20.2 million students have enrolled in college for the academic year 2021-2022.
- 9.6 million students in colleges are female students.
- Around 58% of college students are women, as per 2024 data.
- According to recent data, 16.9 million students enrolled in postsecondary institutions.
- The number of total students enrolled in the undergraduate program is around 14.2 million.
- More than 62% of the colleges have LGBTQ student groups and forums.
- 64% of the students have to drop out of college due to severe mental health issues.
- 33% of college students reported that they either have an anxiety disorder or depression.
- 22.3 million college students have borrowed loans from the band to complete their college education.
- 80% of college students are found to be consuming alcohol
- 45% of college students like to exercise at least three times a week to maintain their physical health.
General College Student statistics
You might be surely interested to know about some general facts related to college students. In this section, I have compiled some interesting facts about college students in the US.
- Only 4.7% of the undergraduate students enrolled in spring 2022 colleges.
- Only 33.3% of the students graduate from college, out of the total students have enrolled in four-year colleges.
- In private colleges, students who are able to graduate from four-year colleges are around 52.8%.
- 62% of the colleges and universities reported that they have LGBTQ students group.
- It was reported that 25% of the community college students in the nation are reported to be enrolled in California community colleges.
- In the year 2021, Harvard accepted 2,320 college students. 25.9% of them were Asian Americans.
- 15.1 million US college students are expected to go to public colleges by the end of the year 2030.
- The number of college students in the US will decline after the year 2025.
- The enrollment of college students has declined over the past 10 years.
- 63% of college students are enrolled in full-time education.
- 43% of college students reported that digital technologies had helped them with their homework.
- According to the data from the BestColleges, in the fall of 2022, around 17.9 million students enrolled in degree-granting programs in the US.
- As per the research, of those who are 18 to 24 years old, 40% of them were enrolled in a post-secondary program.
Following is the complete data on total and projected college enrollment from 2000 to 2031.
| Year | Public | Private |
| 2020 | 13.88 | 5.14 |
| 2021 | 13.54 | 5.12 |
| 2022 | 13.86 | 5.1 |
| 2023 | 13.86 | 5.08 |
| 2024 | 14.09 | 5.16 |
| 2025 | 14.32 | 5.25 |
| 2026 | 14.49 | 5.32 |
| 2027 | 14.6 | 5.36 |
| 2028 | 14.68 | 5.4 |
| 2029 | 14.71 | 5.42 |
| 2030 | 14.74 | 5.43 |
Source: Cappex, Sage Journal, Classes and careers, Foundation CC, Statista.
College Student Demographics
At what age do students join college? Which ethnicity of students is found mostly in colleges? You will surely find the answer to these questions and some other interesting facts and figures related to the college student demographics.
- In the year 2020, of for-credit students who enrolled in community colleges in the United States, 60% of them were found to be girls.
- 9.6 million students in college were reported to be females.
- In the year 2022, only 6.5% of black students enrolled for the spring semester.
- There was a decrease in the college enrollment rate of Asian students by 85.9% in the fall semester 0f 2021.
- 19.1% of Asians dropped out of college.
- 27.1% of the students in college reported that they are slightly overweight.
The following table contains the details about the weight of the college students
| Weight | Percentage Of Students |
| Very underweight | 1.1% |
| Slightly underweight | 10.7% |
| Has the right weight | 55.9% |
| Slightly overweight | 27.1% |
| Very overweight | 5.2% |
- It was reported that 59.1% of college graduates are white.
- 12% of the students that are enrolled in four-year public institutions are African Americans.
- The average age of undergraduate students is reported to be 22.7 years.
- Usually, students between the age of 18 to 24 attend college.
Let’s have a look at the Graduate enrollment by race and ethnicity (2022)
| Ethnicity | Percentage of Students |
| White | 42.8% |
| Black | 9.8% |
| Asian | 7.1% |
| Two or more races | 3.4% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.2% |
| Unknown or Unreported | 22.5% |
| Latinx | 9.1% |
| International | 4.5% |
| Native American | 0.6% |
- Among the undergraduate students in 2022, around 8.3 million female students enrolled in the college as compared to male students, with around 6.1 million enrollments.
- According to the research, the average age of full-time undergraduate students was around 22.4.
The following data represents the average age of college students in 2024.
| Degree program | The average age of students |
| Undergraduate full time | 22.4 |
| Undergraduate part-time | 27 |
| Graduate/professional students full time | 30.1 |
| Graduate/professional students part-time | 35.3 |
- Moreover, in 2022, the students who enrolled in college and with the age group of 18 to 24 were 9,674,810.
Let’s check the student enrollments by age 2024.
| Age group | Enrollments |
| Under 18 | 918,842 |
| 18-24 | 10,299,965 |
| Over 24 | 5,871,510 |
Source: NSC Research Center, US BLS,
College Enrollment Statistics
How many students study at public colleges? What is the number of college student enrollment over the past decade? You will find the answers to these questions in this section.
- In the academic year 2021/2022, approximately 20.2 million students enrolled for an undergraduate degree.
The following tables include details about the number of students enrolled over the years in the college
| Year | Number Of Students Enrolled |
| 2011-2012 | 24.8 million |
| 2012-2013 | 24.1 million |
| 2013-2014 | 23.7 million |
| 2014-2015 | 22.8 million |
| 2015-2016 | 22.5 million |
| 2016-2017 | 22.2 million |
| 2018-2019 | 22.1 million |
| 2019-2020 | 21.8 million |
| 2020-2021 | 21 million |
| 2021-2022 | 20.2 million |
- 13.87 million students are enrolled in public colleges, while 5.12 million college students are enrolled in private colleges.
The following table provides details about the students enrolled in public and private colleges over the years. It also includes the predicted values.
| Year | Number Of Students Enrolled In Private Colleges | Number Of Students Enrolled In Public Colleges |
| 2018 | 5.11 million | 14.54 million |
| 2019 | 5.13 million | 14.5 million |
| 2020 | 5.12 million | 13.87 million |
| 2021 | 5.35 million | 14.98 million |
| 2011 | 5.26 million | 14.77 million |
| 2023 | 5.2 million | 14.65 million |
| 2024 | 5.2 million | 14.66 million |
| 2025 | 5.22 million | 14.72 million |
| 2026 | 5.25 million | 14.8 million |
| 2027 | 5.29 million | 14.88 million |
| 2028 | 5.32 million | 14.96 million |
| 2029 | 5.36 million | 15.04 million |
| 2030 | 5.38 million | 15.1 million |
Source: Statista.
- According to research from bestcolleges.com, around 7.1 million college students enrolled in four-year public colleges.
Let’s have a look at the student college enrollment by school type.
| School type | Enrollments |
| Public Four-year | 7,133,267 |
| Public Two year | 4,079,830 |
| Private non-profit four years | 3,853,405 |
| Private for-profit four years | 828,875 |
The following table shows the breakdown of the Undergraduate college students enrolled in the US according to ethnicity (2022)
| Ethnicity | Percentage of students |
| White | 42.2% |
| Latinx | 17.5% |
| Asian | 5.8% |
| International | 1% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.3% |
| Unknown or Unreported | 17.8% |
| Black | 10.6% |
| Two or more races | 4.2% |
| Native American | 0.7% |
- When talking about the enrollments by degree level, in fall 2022, 7.9 million students were bachelor’s degree students.
- Moreover, 3.9 million students were pursuing associate degrees in the fall of 2024.
Let’s have a look at the college enrollments by degree level.
| Degree | Number of Enrollments | Percent of enrollments |
| Bachelors | 7,942,500 | 46.3% |
| Graduate or professional | 2,965,729 | 17.3% |
| Associate | 3,962,279 | 23.1% |
| Other Undergraduate | 2,282,809 | 13.3% |
- The percentage of students who enrolled full-time was 63% in 2022.
- Similarly, 37% of the students enrolled part-time in 2022.
The below data states the full-time and part-time enrollments in the US in 2022.
| School type | Full-time enrollments | Part-time enrollments |
| All schools | 63% | 37% |
| Private Nonprofit four year | 78% | 22.3% |
| Private for-profit four year | 64% | 36% |
| Public four year | 74% | 26% |
| Public two year | 33% | 67% |
College Student Enrollments by State 2024
- Among the states in the US, California has the highest number of student enrollments for undergraduates.
Let’s have a look at the college student enrollments by state.
| State | Enrollment 2024 | Percent change from the previous year |
| California | 2,164,387 | 2.00% |
| Texas | 1,368,427 | -2.70% |
| Multi-State/Primarily Online | 1,274,604 | 2.20% |
| New York | 974,803 | -2.00% |
| Florida | 856,732 | -1.40% |
| Pennsylvania | 585,758 | -2.60% |
| Illinois | 564,498 | -2.80% |
| Ohio | 518,511 | -1.00% |
| North Carolina | 492,007 | -3.10% |
| Georgia | 479,460 | -0.20% |
College Students Budget
Students have to spend thousands of dollars on their college fees, living expenses, and other required commodities during their college years. Let us take a look at the approximate budget of college students.
- The tuition fee required for an undergraduate student is approximately $ 10,940 for the two-year public school
- The following table gives a detailed breakdown of the college student’s budgets according to different colleges.
| Tuition And Fees | Books and Supplies | Room and Board | Transportation | Other Expenses | |
| Public two-year college | 3,860 | 1,460 | 9,610 | 1,870 | 2,430 |
| Public four-year in-state on-campus | 10,940 | 1,240 | 12,310 | 1,250 | 2,200 |
| Public four-Yearout-of-station-campus | 28,240 | 1,240 | 12,310 | 1,250 | 2,200 |
| Private Nonprofitfour-year on-campus | 39,400 | 1,240 | 14,030 | 1,070 | 1,830 |
Source: Statista.
College Student Health Statistics
Most of the college students tend to neglect their physical health. On the other hand, there are few students who are fitness freaks. In this section, you will come across the numbers and statistics related to the physical health of college students.
- 45.6% of college students reported that they use birth control pills to avoid pregnancy.
- It was reported that every year, around 150,000 students in college have developed some kind of alcohol-related health issue.
- Only 14% of the students rated that their general health is excellent.
- In the year 2021, 2% of the students reported that their health was poor.
- It was found that 39% of the students had good health and they felt fresh.
- 26.9% of college students reported that they were suffering from a cold. It is the most common health issue among college students.
- 8% of the students suffer from a broken bone or sprain in their college years.
The following table includes the common health issues that students face:
| Health Issues | Percentage of Students Affected |
| Cold or other respiratory illness. | 26.9% |
| Orthopaedic injury | 8% |
| Urinary tract infection | 7.7% |
| Stomach or food poisoning | 66% |
| Flu | 5.2% |
| Other short-term issues | 4.1% |
| Bronchitis | 2.9% |
| Concussion | 2.4% |
| Mononucleosis | 1.2% |
| Chlamydia | 1.2% |
| Pneumonia | 1.1% |
| Shingles | 1.1% |
| Chicken Pox | 0.5% |
| Gonorrhea | 0.4% |
| Pelvic inflammatory disease | 0.3% |
| Mumps | 0.3% |
- 33.4% of college students skip breakfast every day.
- 49% of college students never skip lunch, while 55.2% of students reported that they would never skip dinner.
- 75.7% of the students in colleges reported that they used e-cigarettes or vapes.
The following table gives the breakdown of the tobacco products used by college students
| Product Name | Percentage Of Students |
| E-cigarettes | 75.7% |
| Cigarettes | 42% |
| Cigars or little cigars | 16.2% |
| Water pipe or hookah | 10.2% |
| Chewing or smokeless tobacco | 8.8% |
| other | 3.2% |
College Student Mental Health Statistics
Mental health is usually ignored by students in their college lives. However, later, they have to face severe consequences due to negligence. Here are some facts about the mental health of the students.
- 34% of college students reported that they have an anxiety disorder.
- The second most common cause of the death of college students is suicide.
- 47% of the students reported that they eat whenever they are stressed.
- 80% of the students often feel stressed.
- The depression rate among students has grown by 5.1%.
- Only 10% of college athletes reported that they seek help for depression and prefer counseling for their mental health issues.
- 33% of the students reported that they struggle with depression or anxiety.
- 64% of college students reported that they have to drop out of college due to mental health issues.
Source: Healthy Minds Network, Statista.
Student Loan Debt Statistics
How many loads do college students take? Are they able to pay back the debt? In this section, you will find the details about the loans taken by college students.
- Loans of approximately $1.7 trillion were owed by college students in the year 2022.
- 16% of the students struggle to pay for their higher education due to the loans they have to pay.
- Approximately 22.3 million students who have borrowed loans for their education fall under the age of 34.
- There are 14.4 million students in the age group of 35 to 49 who have borrowed loans of approximately $622.9 billion.
- There are 45 million student loan borrowers who owe an average of $39,351 per person.
- Around 37% of student loan borrowers owe less than $10,000. 32% owe between $10,000 and $25,000.
- 58% of student loan borrowers are worried they won’t be able to pay off their loans
Source: Forbes.
College Student’s Life
The life of a college student is filled with adventure and new challenges. It is surely fun to be at that age, but on the other end, there are various cons. Let us take a look at some facts related to the life of college students.
- 40% of the students reported that they consumed fruits two or more times a week.
The following table includes the data about what students usually consume in a week.
| Food Type | Percentage Consumption |
| Fruit | 40% |
| Meat | 39.7% |
| Seafood | 44% |
| Dairy products | 43.3% |
| Candies and soft drinks | 40.4% |
- 76% of the students in July 2020 were ready to attend college if the pandemic decreased.
- 7.6% of the students reported that they face issues falling asleep all days of the week.
The following table shows the percentage of students that face problems falling asleep.
| Number Of Days | Percentage Of Students |
| 0 days | 33.3% |
| 1 day | 22.5% |
| 2 days | 14.3% |
| 3 days | 8.8% |
| 4 days | 5.4% |
| 5 days | 5.4% |
| 6 days | 2.7% |
| 7 days | 7.6% |
- 25% of the students reported that they performed poorly in their academics due to a lack of sleep.
- Approximately 80% of college students consume alcohol.
- 20% of college students in the US have alcohol use disorder.
- Since the pandemic, 28% of college students have reduced drinking alcohol.
- 24.1% of college students reported heavy use of alcohol at least once in two weeks.
- 25% of the students reported having academic issues due to drinking.
- College students reported that they slept an average of 6 to 7 hours a night.
- 45% of the college students reported that they exercise at least 3 times a week.
- The average caffeine consumed by college students was reported to be 173 mg a day.
Source: Statista
Related Read:
- Teaching Statistics
- How Many Colleges Should I Apply
- How Much Do Teachers Earn
- College Professor Salary
That’s all about college students’ statistics.
The data presented above highlights the value of higher education alongside persisting challenges like rising costs and inequities.
While enrollment and completion rates underscore the college’s role in developing talent, financial trends reveal affordability issues hindering access and success.
Continued analysis of emerging trends among diverse student groups is essential to guide policies improving equity, affordability, and outcomes overall.
I hope that the above article has helped you to get a basic idea about the important statistics related to college students and their lives.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comment section below.
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