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In a difficult year marked by several federal policy challenges and financial pullbacks, college leaders received some good news today in the form of a preliminary report showing that postsecondary enrollment increased for the third consecutive year since the losses sustained during the Covid-19 pandemic. The newPreliminary Fall Enrollment Trends reportfrom the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that total enrollment at the nation’s colleges and universities increased 2.0% this fall, powered largely by a 2.4% increase in undergraduate enrollment. NSCRC cautioned, however, that the report was preliminary — based on about 8.5 million enrollments at 49.4% of the institutions submitting data to it — and is therefore subject to change when more enrollment data become available. The Center plans to release its Final Fall Enrollment Trends report, which will be based on more comprehensive data and additional analyses, on January 15, 2026. Sector And Level Differences Undergraduate enrollment was up across all higher education sectors this fall, but community colleges saw the strongest growth with a 4.0% gain, more than twice the rate of gain for other sectors. Enrollment increased 1.9% at public 4-year institutions, and it grew 0.9% at private nonprofit 4-year institutions. Undergraduate increases substantially outpaced graduate program enrollment growth, which was up by a mere 0.1%. Master’s program enrollment, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of graduate enrollment, declined slightly (-0.6%) while doctoral program enrollment was up 1.1%. MORE FOR YOU At the undergraduate level, shorter programs showed the strongest performance this fall, continuing the trend of recent years. Certificate programs grew 6.6%, compared to a 3.1% increase for associate degree programs and 1.2% growth for bachelor’s programs. Enrollment growth was largest at less-selective institutions (3.3%), which outpaced the growth seen at competitive (1.8%), very competitive (1.1%) and highly selective (.7%) schools. “With half of our institutions reporting so far, the number of undergrads in colleges and universities this fall is on track to grow for the third straight year,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, in a news release. “That’s good news all around, but especially for community colleges as students continue to gravitate towards vocational certificates and associate degrees, leaving less momentum for growth among bachelors’ seekers.” Student Characteristics Among undergraduates, Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students all experienced higher enrollments this fall compared to last year, up 3.1%, 3.5% and 2.9%, respectively. White undergraduates, by contrast, saw declines (-3.7% ), while enrollment of Asian undergraduates stayed basically flat. However, NSCRC researchers urged that these numbers be regarded with caution because of the increasing number of students for which racial/ethnic data are not available, either because students choose not to reveal them (the vast majority of cases) or institutions don’t report them. In terms of age groups, undergraduates 17 years or younger showed the largest enrollment growth at 6%; it’s likely the majority of those students are dually enrolled in both high school and college classes. Data on international student enrollments were not included in this preliminary report, but they will be reported in the final report in January. Computer Science Majors Down One of the biggest take-aways from the report is that the hot streak for Computer and Information Science enrollment may be over. It saw declines this fall that ranged from -15% for graduate students to -7.7% for undergraduates at 4-year institutions and -5.8% for those at 2-year schools. At 4-year schools, health professions and related clinical sciences (6.2%) and engineering (7.5%) were the majors with the largest growth. At 2-year institutions, trade majors, like engineering technologies/technicians and mechanic and repair technologies/technicians, continued to show strong growth, up 8.3% and 10.4%, respectively. Health professions and clinical sciences also enjoyed substantial gains, up 10.1%. About The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center
