Interest in community colleges continue to boost year-over-year undergraduate spring enrollment, while the number of students in graduate programs eclipsed pre-pandemic levels in 2025.
That’s according to the latest Current Term Estimates reports analyzing spring 2025 from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
“This is great news for community colleges and especially for those with strong vocational programs,” Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, said in a press release. “Four-year colleges can also feel good about higher numbers of undergraduates this spring, but their growth rates are slower.”
Enrollment at trade-focused, two-year institutions and undergraduate certificate programs have increased by around 20% since spring 2020. Community colleges accounted for nearly two-thirds of the increase among certificates in spring 2025.
Enrollment in trade-focused community colleges now accounts for nearly one-fifth of all students across two-year colleges.
Overall undergraduate enrollment increased by 3.2% over last year and positive growth was felt across all credential types. For-profit institutions have experienced the highest growth of all sectors since spring 2020 at 18.2%. However, total undergraduate enrollment remains under pre-pandemic levels.
One of the biggest surprises in this report was the plateau in growth for undergraduate computer science majors, which only grew by 0.2% over last year.
“I wonder whether students are concerned that AI is taking over many of the jobs for beginning computer scientists and are turning away, or maybe we’ve just reached a peak,” Shapiro said in a press briefing.
Graduate enrollment’s 1.5% growth this spring and 7.2% increase since 2020 was enough to tick total numbers past pre-pandemic levels. Public four-year institutions boasted the highest total enrollment numbers and five-year percent change.
The students attending college
Students in their 20’s are returning to undergraduate programs since falling off after the pandemic, according to the report. Since spring 2024, enrollment among students aged 21-24 grew by 3.2% and 5.9% for students 25-29, which leads among all age brackets.
Aside from Native American and white students, all other known races and ethnicities have enrolled at higher rates in graduate programs since 2020. Black, Hispanic, Asian and multiracial students all experienced double-digit growth.
White student enrollment has continued to decrease since at least 2020. On the other hand, the number of students whose race/ethnicity information is deemed “missing” by the Clearinghouse has increased.
Is momentum rising for higher education?
The latest Clearinghouse report is indicative of some positive signs that have come from recent student surveys. Check them out here:
- Confidence in credentials grows among current and former students
- While not simplistic, students ultimately succeed after college, research finds
- Micro-credentials grow more popular in the U.S. and beyond
