New Department of Education Report Examines Gender Differences in Financing Higher Education

A new report from the U.S. Department of Education examines the cohort of students who entered higher education in the 2011-12 academic year. Some of the data is broken down by gender.

The data shows that women made up 56.6 percent of the students who enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs in the 2011-12 academic year. Women made up 53.8 percent of all students who enrolled in associate degree programs and 60 percent of all students who enrolled in undergraduate certificate programs.

More than 76 percent of women who enrolled received grants to help pay for their tuition compared to 69.5 percent of men.

Nearly 52 percent of women students received federal Pell grants compared to 43.6 percent of men.

Almost half of women took out student loans compared to 42.2 percent of men.