Young Men Are Largely Responsible for the Overall Drop in College Enrollments

A new study from the Pew Research Center finds that college enrollment among young Americans has been declining gradually over the past decade. In 2022, the total number of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college was down by approximately 1.2 million from its peak in 2011. About 1 million fewer young men are in college but only 0.2 million fewer young women. As a result, men make up 44 percent of young college students today, down from 47 percent in 2011.

Much of this decline is because of lower enrollments of men at four-year colleges and universities. Today, men represent only 42 percent of students ages 18 to 24 at four-year schools, down from 47 percent in 2011.

At two-year colleges, the drop in enrollment has been similar for men and women, so the gender balance has not changed much. Men represent 49 percent of students ages 18 to 24, up slightly from 48 percent in 2011.

The decline in young college enrollment since 2011 is not driven by a drop in the overall number of 18- to 24-year-old high school graduates. That number has modestly increased since 2011. Instead, the falling share of young high school graduates who are enrolling in college is causing the decline. And the drop has been greater among young men than women.

Today, only 39 percent of young men who have completed high school are enrolled in college, down from 47 percent in 2011. The rate at which young female high school graduates enroll has also fallen, but not by nearly as much (from 52 percent to 48 percent).