Enrollment Trends at AASCU Campuses, 1994-2004

As K-12 schools and the nation continue to expand, state colleges and universities are facing the task of educating a growing number of students. The importance of understanding how our student communities have changed and how they will evolve is unquestionable as leaders in both higher education and legislatures set the foundations for building tomorrow’s colleges and universities.

Context
College enrollment continues to jump leaps and bounds, as the number of students attending public four-year higher education institutions reached 6.8 million in the 2004 academic year. Fueled by significant enrollment increases by minority and female students, as well as recent high school graduates and adult students, the number of students at AASCU campuses across the country increased 13.7 percent over the past 10 years, reaching 3.7 million.



AASCU analyzed the latest year of available data from the U.S. Department of Education to identify enrollment trends among its member institutions. While AASCU institutions differ in size, mission and composition, they can be seen as a bellwether of change for American higher education.