The surprising force behind sturdy enrollment growth in higher ed

University Business

Alcino Donadel

January 30, 2025

For-profit colleges and universities faced considerable scrutiny and a watchful eye from the previous federal administration, but that didn’t stop their consistent rise over the past five years.

For-profit institutions’ undergraduate enrollment increased by 21.5% from 2019 to 2024, experiencing positive year-over-year changes for four out of the five past fall semesters, according to the latest data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. While its slice of enrollment in higher education is smaller, it boasts the strongest rate of growth relative to all other sectors.

Other findings include:

While undergraduate enrollment has trended downward for white students across higher education for the past four years, the private for-profit sector is the only one to have experienced uninterrupted growth year-over-year.

Hispanic and Black undergraduate enrollment last fall grew by 12.7% and 13%, respectively.

The older the student, the more meteoric the growth. The percent positive change in enrollment among Black students ages 30 and older was nearly double that of 21- to 24-year-olds at 16.4%.

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