A new national report finds that, compared to last spring, undergraduate enrollment edged up by 1.3% nationally, while graduate enrollment held basically steady.gettyThe number of students attending college increased by 1% this spring, bringing total postsecondary enrollment to 18.6 million students, according to the latest report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The numbers defied widespread expectations that a constellation of negative factors could yield an enrollment decline. Instead, this year’s increase means that the nation’s college enrollment now stands at 1.1 million more students than in 2022.The Clearinghouse’s Enrollment Insights: Final Spring Enrollment Trends Report found that undergraduate enrollment increased to 15.5 million students, a gain of 1.3%, which equals about 192,000 more students. Meanwhile, graduate enrollment held steady at 3.1 million, dropping by only 0.1% (about 4,000 students) compared to this time last year. This spring’s results largely confirm what was observed last fall. Public institutions saw the largest undergraduate gains, while master’s programs and international graduate enrollment saw decreases.“We’re seeing more students enroll in undergraduate programs than we did last spring, but graduate enrollment is under pressure, with declines in both master’s programs and international students,” said Matthew Holsapple, Senior Director of Research at the National Student Clearinghouse, in a news release. “The momentum we continue to see in undergraduate enrollment—particularly in certificate programs—does not extend to graduate programs.” Sector and Degree DifferencesTotal enrollment at public 4-year colleges rose 1.1% to more than 7.5 million students (a gain of about 89,000 students), while private nonprofit colleges saw a small (-0.3%) decrease of roughly 11,000 students. For-profit enrollment inched up by more than 6,300 students (0.7%). The gains were concentrated largely among undergraduates attending public institutions. Community colleges saw the largest percentage increase at 3.1%, equal to an increase of more than 172,000 students. Public four-year universities gained 1.5%; while schools in the private sector, both nonprofit and for-profit, saw small, undergraduate enrollment downturns. MORE FOR YOUWhile undergraduate enrollment increased across all types of credentials, short-term certificates once again showed the biggest jump (+10.2%, +86,000 students), continuing the trend of recent years. They were followed by associate degrees (+1.3%, +59,000) and bachelor’s degrees (+1.0%, +85,000).Historically Black Colleges and Universities had a good year, with their undergraduate enrollment increasing by 3.8%.Graduate Student EnrollmentOne area for concern is at the master’s level, where enrollment declined 1.3% (-26,000 students). Doctoral enrollment increased .3%, which translates to about 2,000 more students. At the graduate level, enrollment was up only at private for-profit 4-year institutions (+3.8%, +9,600). Public 4-year graduate enrollment dipped slightly (-0.3%), while private, nonprofit graduate enrollment declined .6%. HBCU’s saw their graduate enrollment rise by 2.2%.Demographic DifferencesEnrollment gains were seen by Black (3.5%), Hispanic (3.4%) and multiracial students (3.0%) at the undergraduate level; while at the graduate level, Black enrollment was up 4.7%, Hispanic students increased 6.5%, and multiracial students gained 6.7%. White enrollment, on the other hand, experienced a 1.8% decrease among undergraduates and remained flat at the graduate level. Clearinghouse staff urged caution in interpreting these data, however, given the increasing number of students who are declining to indicate their race/ethnicity. Women saw a 1.2% increase at the undergraduate level and a .8% gain among graduate students. Men, on the other hand, gained slightly (.5%) at the undergraduate level, but fell back by 1.4% at the graduate level.One other demographic trend continued. Among undergraduates, the strongest enrollment gain was for students 17 years and younger, increasing by 9.6% this spring compared to last. Presumably, most of those students are attending college through dual credit or dual enrollment options. International studentsGiven the Trump administration’s anti-immigration rhetoric and actions, considerable interest has been focused on what impact those policies might have on foreign student enrollments. This spring, 148,000 international graduate students were enrolled, a decline of 4.3% (-7,000) compared to last spring. In contrast, undergraduate international student enrollment climbed for the third spring in a row, increasing by about 6,000 students (3.9%).Computer Science Degrees Sag, While Health Science Majors SurgeReflecting what many observers believe is the adverse impact of AI on entry-level jobs, Computer and Information Science majors saw significant enrollment decreases at undergraduate four-year schools (-8.4%), primarily associate degree granting baccalaureate colleges (-9.3%), and two-year (-11.2%) institutions. By contrast, for the third year in a row, undergraduate enrollment in Health Professions programs increased across all award levels and institution types, rising between 6.0 to 7.1% this spring. At four-year institutions, Health Professions surpassed one million enrollments. Engineering also saw strong enrollment gains this spring.Enrollment ResilienceThese new numbers point to enrollment resilience among post-secondary institutions. It appears that colleges can take a punch. Maybe even several punches. Notwithstanding an ongoing campaign by the White House against prominent universities, a peak in the number of high school seniors, a job market where the career ladder for some fields is being undercut by the AI revolution, and a general public who professes to be skeptical about the value of college, more students enrolled in college for the third consecutive year. Most of them probably did so for a fundamental reason — over the long haul, going to college remains a smart economic decision. About the National Student Clearinghouse Research CenterThe NSCRC is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit organization founded in 1993. It collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations to gather accurate longitudinal data that can be used to guide educational policy decisions. NSCRC analyzes data from 3,600 postsecondary institutions, which represented 97% of the nation’s postsecondary enrollment in Title IV degree-granting institutions in the U.S., as of 2020.