Total postsecondary enrollment in the U.S. grew by 1% in fall 2025 over last year, according to the latest report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Total enrollment is now slightly above pre-pandemic numbers recorded in fall 2019, with 110,000 additional undergraduate students enrolled. Graduate enrollment has increased by more than 8%, or nearly a quarter of a million students.
“What this five-year perspective shows is a system that has regained its size but not all of its old shape,” said Matthew Holsapple, senior director at the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Graduate international enrollment plummets
International graduate enrollment fell this fall by 5.9%, or about 10,000 students. It’s the first year-over-year decrease in international graduate enrollment since 2020, according to Sarah Karamarkovich, a Clearinghouse research associate.
The nearly 6% drop in enrollment confirmed the fears of campus leaders wary of recent federal policy changes and renewed global competition for international students.
While international undergraduate enrollment increased, it did so at half the rate of last fall (3.2% in 2025 vs. 8.4% in 2024).
A “shift” in enrollment across undergraduate sectors
Enrollment increases at community colleges (3%) and public four-year colleges (1.4%) were the highest across the postsecondary landscape. Graduate enrollment decreased slightly by 0.3%, negating gains reported by the Clearinghouse in its preliminary data on fall enrollment released in November.
Enrollment in undergraduate certificates grew by 1.9% this fall, marking four consecutive years of growth. Overall enrollment is up 28.3% since fall 2021, reaching over 750,000 students.
Associate degree programs grew by 2.2%, outpacing that of bachelor’s degrees (0.9%).
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On the other hand, enrollment across private, nonprofit colleges decreased by 1.6%.
“This shift between sectors” represented “a clear departure from the broad-based growth of recent years,” Holsapple said. Higher education today is “definitely more defined by short-term credentials and workforce alignment.”
Computer science programs falter
Some once-thriving academic programs also lost traction. Undergraduate and graduate enrollment in the computer and information sciences decreased dramatically, following years of 4% growth or more.
Here is the rate of enrollment change in computer and information sciences, based on award level:
- Undergraduate two-year: – 8.3%
- Undergraduate four-year: – 8.1%
- Graduate: – 14%
Prospective students may be discouraged from enrolling in computer science due to recent layoffs in the tech field, the rise of AI and the changing entry-level job market, Holsapple said.
Undergraduate programs in engineering (7.3%) and health professions and related clinical sciences (5.5%) increased the most.
