Clearinghouse Enrollment Insights Series:
Final Spring Enrollment Trends
June 4, 2026
The Final Spring Enrollment Trends report (previously known as the Current Term Enrollment Estimates spring report) is published every June and provides the final enrollment estimates for the spring term based on comprehensive data. It provides national enrollment estimates by credential type, institutional sector and other characteristics (e.g., locale, program focus), enrollment intensity, student demographics (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, gender), and major field, as well as state-level enrollment estimates. Enrollment estimates are adjusted for Clearinghouse data coverage rates by institutional sector, state, and year. Postsecondary institutions actively submitting enrollment data to the Clearinghouse account for 97 percent of the total enrollments at Title IV, degree-granting institutions in the U.S.
The dashboard-based report allows users to explore the longitudinal data through interactive visualizations. Specific major family-related data are available in the downloadable Data Appendix.
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Spring 2026 Highlights:
- Spring 2026 postsecondary enrollment totaled 18.6 million students, up 1.0 percent from spring 2025 (+192,000). Undergraduate enrollment increased to 15.5 million (+1.3%), while graduate enrollment held at 3.1 million (-0.1%).
- Undergraduate enrollment gains came primarily from public institutions: community colleges grew 3.1 percent and public 4-year institutions grew 1.5 percent. Enrollment at private nonprofit and private for-profit 4-year institutions was essentially unchanged (-0.1% and -0.5%, respectively).
- Master’s program enrollment fell 1.8 percent this spring, reflecting declines at both public and private nonprofit 4-year institutions. At the undergraduate level, enrollment increased across certificate, associate, and bachelor’s programs, with undergraduate certificate programs continuing to post the fastest growth (+10.2%).
- Graduate international student enrollment declined -4.3 percent (-7,000) compared to last spring, driven by declines at public 4-year institutions (-9.2%).
- Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students had the largest numeric gains in enrollment at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
- After two years of strong growth, enrollment at high vocational public two-year institutions increased more modestly this spring (+2.8%, +24,000). High transfer institutions, which account for nearly half of all public two-year enrollments, saw the largest gains (+5.5%, +112,000).
Navigate using the tabs at the top of the dashboard to see details for different institutions and student groups.
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