National Student Clearinghouse Preliminary Data: Fall 2026 Undergraduate Enrollment Rose Just 0.6 Percent, While Graduate Enrollment Fell 1.6 Percent and Master Programs Fell 3.7 Percent
Washington — Undergraduate enrollment increased by just 0.6 percent in fall 2026, according to preliminary data the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center released on October 29. Between fall 2024 and fall 2025, enrollment had increased 2.4 percent. About 46 percent of institutions submitted data covering nearly eight million students for the preliminary report, and the figures will likely change when final fall numbers are released in January.
By sector, enrollment ticked up 1.2 percent at community colleges, public four year institutions saw a 0.3 percent increase, and private four year institutions had no change. Enrollment is essentially flat, or growing by less than 1 percent across the board, said Matthew Holsapple, senior director of research at the National Student Clearinghouse, on a call with reporters. He said he was careful not to characterize the pattern as an enrollment decline, since enrollment is still slightly higher than a year ago, and the important change is the loss of the broad based growth seen last year.
On the graduate side, the early data show a 3.7 percent drop for master programs driving a 1.6 percent total decline in graduate enrollment, with doctoral program enrollment down 0.5 percent. This is the first academic year that new caps on graduate student loans took effect, and several experts have warned the limits could hinder enrollment in those programs, the report noted.
Holsapple said the data do not currently shed light on whether or how the caps or other policy changes at the federal or institutional level are affecting program enrollments. All we can see is that those enrollments are changing, he said. We see different patterns for master and Ph.D. students, which might point to some differences there.
(Source: National Student Clearinghouse)
Source: National Student Clearinghouse
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：大学生行走在校园中（资料图）。照片：公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Students walking on a college campus (file photo). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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