Projections of College Enrollment to 2023

The number of students in the nation's colleges, including both two-year and four-year institutions, is projected to rise from 20.4 million in the fall of 2015 to 22.6 million in the fall of 2023, according to the National Center for Education Statistics—an increase of 2.2 million. Black and Hispanic students will account for 63 percent of the increase. Here are the projections by race and Hispanic origin...

Projections of college enrollment 2015 to 2023 (and percent change)
Total students will grow by 2.2 million to 22,642,000 (10.9%)
Asian students will grow by 130,000 to 1,391,000 (10.3%)
Black students will grow by 632,000 to 3,705,000 (20.5%)
Hispanic students will grow by 777,000 to 3,981,000 (24.3%)
Non-Hispanic White students will grow by 632,000 to 12,813,000 (5.2%)

By 2023, non-Hispanic Whites will account for 57 percent of college enrollment, down from 60 percent in 2015. Hispanics will be 18 percent of enrollment, Blacks 16 percent, and Asians 6 percent. The multiracial and American Indians/Alaska natives will account for the remainder of the student population.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Projections of Education Statistics to 2023