Immediate transition to college

Question:
How has the college enrollment rate immediately following high school graduation varied over time?

Response:
The immediate college enrollment rate is defined as the percentage of high school completers of a given year who enroll in 2- or 4-year colleges in the fall immediately after completing high school. During the period of 1975 through 2010, the immediate college enrollment rate ranged from a low of 49 percent to a high of 70 percent. Specifically, this rate increased from 1975 to 1997 (51 to 67 percent), declined from 1997 to 2001 (to 62 percent), then increased from 2001 to 2009 (to 70 percent). There was no measurable difference between the rate for 2009 and that for 2010 (68 percent).

In each year between 1975 and 2010, the immediate college enrollment rates of high school completers from low- and middle-income families were lower than those of high school completers from high-income families. Most recently, in 2010, the immediate college enrollment rate of high school completers from low-income families was 52 percent, 30 percentage points lower than the rate of high school completers from high-income families (82 percent). The immediate college enrollment rate of high school completers from middle-income families (67 percent) was 15 percentage points lower than the rate of their peers from high-income families.

Separate data on Asian high school completers have been collected since 2003. Between 2003 and 2010, immediate college enrollment rates increased for Asian high school completers from 80 to 88 percent. Despite some apparent increases, there were no measurable differences over this period in the rates for White, Black, or Hispanic high school completers. During the longer period of 1975 to 2010, immediate college enrollment rates increased for White (51 vs. 70 percent) and Black high school completers (43 vs. 66 percent). After accounting for possible sampling error, there was no measurable difference in Hispanic rates over this period of time (approximately 60 percent in both years). In each year between 2003 and 2010, the immediate college enrollment rate of Asian high school completers was higher than the rates of White, Black, and Hispanic high school completers. The immediate college enrollment rate of White high school completers was also higher than the rate for Hispanic students in every year during this period and for Black students in every year from 2003 to 2009. In 2010, there was no measurable difference between the rates for Whites and for Blacks.

Overall, the immediate college enrollment rates of high school completers at both 2- and 4-year colleges increased between 1975 and 2010. In 1975, about 18 percent of high school completers enrolled at a 2-year college immediately after high school, while 27 percent did so in 2010. Similarly, in 1975, some 33 percent of high school completers enrolled at a 4-year college immediately after high school, compared with 41 percent in 2010. In each year during this period, immediate college enrollment rates at 2-year colleges were lower than those at 4-year colleges.

Between 1975 and 2010, immediate college enrollment rates increased for both males and females: the rate for males increased from 53 to 63 percent and that for females, from 49 to 74 percent. Thus, the enrollment pattern has shifted over time to higher enrollment rates for females than males. The percentage of male high school completers who enrolled in a 2-year college immediately after high school (29 percent) was not measurably different from the percentage for their female peers (25 percent). In contrast, the percentage of high school completers who enrolled in a 4-year college immediately after high school was lower for males than females (34 vs. 49 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). The Condition of Education 2012 (NCES 2012-034), Indicator 34.

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2012, Digest of Education Statistics 2011, Table 209. Recent high school completers and their enrollment in 2-year and 4-year colleges, by sex: 1960 through 2010
  
• 2012, Digest of Education Statistics 2011, Table 210. Recent high school completers and their enrollment in 2-year and 4-year colleges, by race/ethnicity: 1960 through 2010
  
• 2012, Digest of Education Statistics 2011, Table 211. Graduation rates of previous year's 12th-graders and college attendance rates of those who graduated, by selected high school characteristics: 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2007-08
  
• 2012, Digest of Education Statistics 2011, Table 212. Estimated rate of 2007-08 high school graduates attending degree-granting institutions, by state: 2008
  
• 2012, Digest of Education Statistics 2011, Table 213. Enrollment rates of 18- to 24-year-olds in degree-granting institutions, by level of institution and sex and race/ethnicity of student: 1967 through 2010
  
• 2012, Digest of Education Statistics 2011, Table 400. Labor force status of 2008, 2009, and 2010 high school completers, by sex, race/ethnicity, and college enrollment status: October 2008, 2009, and 2010
  
• 2012, The Condition of Education 2012: Postsecondary Expectations of 12th-Graders
  

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2010, Current Population Survey (CPS): This site provides access to publications and data on employment, unemployment, and other characteristics of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.