3.1%
Decrease in number of undergraduate students enrolling in all postsecondary institutions since fall 2019 and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic—a loss of 1,025,600 students. Enrollment fell 3.1% in fall 2021 following a 3.5% drop in fall 2020.
0.4%
Increase in freshman enrollment across all postsecondary institutions from fall 2020 to fall 2021. This slight uptick follows a 9.5% decline between fall 2019 and fall 2020. Institutions gaining the most new freshmen in fall 2021 were private 4-year institutions—which saw a 2.9% increase since fall 2020—and public 2-year colleges—which saw a 0.4% gain since fall 2020.
2.5%
Growth in psychology majors at 4-year colleges in fall 2021 compared with fall 2020. Computer science majors also grew (by 1.3%), but the five largest undergraduate majors—business, health, liberal arts, biology, and engineering—saw sharp declines, with liberal arts majors declining the most (-7.6%). Psychology is the seventh-largest undergraduate major.