How many undergraduate students enroll in U.S. institutions?

More women than men are enrolled as undergraduates, and the number of female students has grown more rapidly than the number of male students.

The number of undergraduate students increased in every racial/ethnic group from 2000 to 2012, with growth most rapid among Hispanics and blacks. However, only Hispanics had a higher enrollment in 2012 than in 2010. The numbers of white and American Indian/Alaska Native undergraduates declined in both 2011 and 2012. Blacks’ enrollment continued to rise in 2011 but then fell in 2012. Asians/Pacific Islanders had their peak enrollment in 2009.

The number of first-time freshmen enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities rose gradually from 2000 to 2007, showed marked increases in both 2008 and 2009, and then declined each year from 2010 to 2012. The pattern was similar for women and men.

Between 2000 and 2012, the number of first-time freshmen increased in every racial/ethnic group, although the number has declined since 2009 in all groups except Hispanics. Growth has been particularly rapid among Hispanics since 2007.

• Overall, the number of undergraduates grew from 13.4 million in 2000 to 18.3 million in 2010, an increase of 36%, before declining to less than 18 million in 2012.
• Between 2000 and 2010, the number of female students increased by 40%, compared to a 32% increase for male students. Enrollment for both women and men decreased approximately 2% between 2010 and 2012.
• Women made up more than half of undergraduate students in every year. The number of female students rose gradually from 7.4 million in 2000 to 10.4 million in both 2010 and 2011, before declining to 10.2 million in 2012. Women’s share of undergraduates increased from 55% in 2000 to 57% in 2002, and stabilized at 57% through 2012.

• From 2000 to 2010, undergraduate enrollment increased by 80% among Hispanics and 64% among blacks, compared to 16% among whites, 29% among Asians/Pacific Islanders, and 30% among American Indians/Alaska Natives. The number of Hispanic students continued to grow, increasing by nearly 11% between 2010 and 2012, whereas enrollment decreased in the other groups.
• In 2010, 10 million whites, 2.5 million Hispanics, 2.5 million blacks, 1 million Asians/Pacific Islanders, and over 167,000 American Indians/Alaska Natives were enrolled as undergraduates. By 2012, enrollment declined to 9.6 million whites, 2.4 million blacks, 1 million Asians/Pacific Islanders (slightly lower than in 2010), and 149,000 American Indians/Alaska Natives, but rose among Hispanics to 2.8 million.
• Hispanics made up 16% of all undergraduate students in 2012 (up from 14% in 2010). Blacks were 14% of students in 2012 – the same percentage as in 2010. Each of these groups accounted for only 11% of undergraduates in 2000.
• Asians/Pacific Islanders were about 6%, and American Indians/Alaska Natives were about 1%, of the undergraduate population in every year from 2000 to 2012.
• As the percentage of minority students increased, the percentage of white undergraduate students dropped from 66% in 2000 to 55% in 2012.

• The total number of first-time freshmen grew from 2.4 million in 2000 to 3.3 million in 2009, an increase of 37%. The number fell to a little over 3 million in 2012, almost 7% fewer freshmen than in 2009.
• Women were a majority of first-time freshmen in every year, rising from 1.3 million in 2000 to 1.8 million in 2009. Their number declined to 1.6 million by 2012, a 7% decrease since 2009.
• The number of male first-time freshmen rose from 1.1 million in 2000 to 1.5 million in 2009, followed by a 6% decline to 1.4 million in 2012.

• In 2012, there were 1.6 million whites enrolled as first-time freshmen, compared to approximately 522,000 Hispanics, 431,000 blacks, 167,000 Asians/Pacific Islanders, and 24,000 American Indians/Alaska Natives. Except for Hispanics, these numbers reflect declines in freshmen enrollment since the peak years of 2008 for Asians/Pacific Islanders and 2009 for whites, blacks, and American Indians/Alaska Natives. Hispanics more than doubled their freshmen enrollment between 2000 and 2010, and increased their number by almost 6% between 2010 and 2012.
• Hispanics’ proportion among first-time freshmen rose from 10% in 2000 to 18% in 2012, and blacks’ proportion rose from 12% to 15% over the period.
• Asians/Pacific Islanders made up over 5% of first-time freshmen in 2000 and close to 6% in 2012. American Indians/Alaska Natives were a little less than 1% of freshmen in both years.
• The percentage of whites among first-time freshmen fell from 67% in 2000 to 53% in 2012.