Are Less Students Going To College?

Percentage of First-Time Students at Public Four-Year Institutions Who Were State Residents, Fall 2002 and Fall 2012

The percentage of first-time public four-year college students who were residents of the states in which they were enrolled declined from 84% in fall 2002 to 80% in fall 2012.

Figure 28: Percentage of First-Time Students at Public Four-Year Institutions Who Were State Residents, Fall 2002 and Fall 2012

Figure 28 represents Percentage of First-Time Students at Public Four-Year Institutions Who Are State Residents, Fall 2002 and Fall 2012. For a corresponding Section 508-compliant data table, see http://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing.

Notes & Sources

NOTE: Four-year institution categories include only those institutions where more than 50% of degrees/certificates awarded are bachelor’s degrees or higher.

SOURCES: NCES, IPEDS enrollment data; calculations by the authors.

Key Points

  • In fall 2012, the percentage of first-time students at public four-year institutions who were state residents ranged from 34% in Vermont and 38% in North Dakota to 93% in Alaska and New Jersey and 94% in Texas.
  • The largest declines between fall 2002 and fall 2012 in the proportion of students who were state residents were 18 percentage points in North Dakota (from 56% to 38%) and 16 percentage points in Wyoming (from 66% to 50%).
  • In 10 states, the percentage of first-time students at public four-year institutions who were state residents increased between fall 2002 and fall 2012. The largest increases were 5 percentage points in Maryland (from 70% to 75%) and 6 percentage points in Tennessee (from 84% to 90%).
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