61.4 percent of recent high school graduates enrolled in college in October 2023

Of the 3.1 million people ages 16 to 24 who graduated from high school between January and October 2023, 1.9 million, or 61.4 percent, were enrolled in colleges or universities in October of that year. This rate was little different from the rate of 62.0 percent in October 2022, but remained lower than the rate of 66.2 percent in October 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among 2023 high school graduates ages 16 to 24, the 65.3 percent college enrollment rate for young women was higher than the rate for young men (57.6 percent) in October. Within this age group, women who were recent graduates entered college at a higher rate than men in every year since 1996. By race and ethnicity, the college enrollment rate of Asians has generally been higher than that of Whites, Blacks or African Americans, and Hispanics or Latinos in every year since 2003, when data for Asians first became available. Over the past three decades, college enrollment for recent high school graduates reached a high of 92.4 percent for Asians in 2016, 71.1 percent for Whites in 2015, 70.9 percent for Blacks or African Americans in 2014, and 72.0 percent for Hispanics or Latinos in 2016.

The proportion of high school graduates ages 16 to 24 attending a 4-year college or university compared with those attending a 2-year college has been rising in recent years. Among those enrolled in a college or university, 74.6 percent of recent high school graduates were enrolled in a 4-year college or university in October 2023, compared with 25.4 percent who were enrolled in a 2-year college.

These data are from the Current Population Survey. For more information, see “College Enrollment and Work Activity of Recent High School and College Graduates — 2023.” People whose ethnicity is Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.