30 Educational College Student Statistics for 2024

Every year, millions of students head off to colleges around the country. They’re eager to learn and get their start in the world. Some want to prepare themselves for a specific future career, and others simply want to gain knowledge and experience in a particular subject. Whatever the reason that students choose to enroll in the college of their choice, these interesting college student statistics will help give you insight into their lives.

There’s so much to find out about college students that we’ve separated these facts and college education statistics into different categories. These include general statistics, stress information, mental health issues, student drinking information, social media, physical health, healthcare students, and dropout stats. So take a moment to enjoy finding out more about America’s youth in colleges. There’s more than enough information to get stuck into.

The Top 10 Stats on College Students

Universities and colleges around the United States were expected to award 989,000 associate’s degrees in the 2019–2020 year of academia.
There are around 3 million more female student enrollments than male.
There are around 5,300 higher learning institutions in the United States.
Of the total number of college students in the United States, international students make up 5.5% of this number.
Stress is prominent among the youth, with 80% of college students saying that they feel stressed at some point, according to stats.
Out of mental health issues, anxiety is the most prominent amongst college students at 41.6%.
Around 60% of college students claim that they had experimented with alcohol before starting college.
25% (or one out of four) college students claim that they have struggled academically because of their alcohol consumption.
Around 98% of people at the age where they would be in college (18–24) use social media.
A third of people enrolled in colleges around the United States eventually drop out without completing their studies.

General College Students Stats

These statistics cover a wide range of topics related to college and student life in the United States. You will find all sorts of information on a wide variety of college life statistics in this section.

1. Universities and colleges around the United States were expected to award 989,000 associate’s degrees in the 2019–2020 year of academia.

(National Center for Educational Statistics)

They were also expected to hand over 184,000 doctorates, 820,000 master’s degrees, and 1,975,000 bachelor’s degrees to college students during that same period. If you’re wondering how many college students there are in the US in total, this is your answer.

2. There are around 3 million more female student enrollments than male.

(Education Data)

During the 10 years between 2005–2015, the rises and falls in enrollment in colleges were the same with male students as they were with female students. However, it shows that there were consistently significantly more female enrollments than male.

3. A study on all the students who enrolled in 2010 showed that only 41% completed a four-year degree in four years.

(Education Data)

College student statistics show that just over 56% completed their studies in five years, and almost 60% took six years to complete a four-year degree. This just goes to show that different people go at different paces and that completing a four-year degree in four years isn’t always the standard.

4. Around 37.1% of college students studying towards a two-year certification are attending school part-time.

(United States Census Bureau)

Around 16.2% of those students studying towards a four-year undergraduate degree are studying part-time. And 40.4% of those working towards a graduate school degree are studying part-time.

5. According to college facts and statistics, of the total number of students in the United States, international students make up 5.5% of this number.

(Institute of International Education)

In the year 2018, these students added $44.7 billion to the economy of the United States. According to these amounts, it shows that having international students contributes greatly towards the economy, along with the cultural additions they offer to their fellow university students.

6. Out of all the countries with students in the United States, China provides the most international students to America.

(Institute of International Education)

Following China in providing the highest number of international students are India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. This is according to college student demographics from 2019.

7. The smaller states in the US are more likely to have the highest percentage of their population enrolled in college.

(American School & University)

For example, New Hampshire had 147,773 students enrolled in local institutions, which was around 11% of the total population. This is according to US Census estimates for 2017.

8. There are around 5,300 higher learning institutions in the country.

(Education Unlimited)

This number of schools in the US includes everything from trade schools to Ivy League institutions like Yale University. With many places to study, there are a variety of choices for the American student.

Statistics on College Student Stress

Many students struggle with stress while at college. These statistics and facts look at how students identify with stress and deal with it in their everyday lives.

9. Stress is prominent among college students, with 80% saying that they feel stressed at some point.

(American Institute of Stress)

A healthy amount of stress is expected while studying. However, 34% say that they actually feel depressed. This could likely be because of the stress of college and the expectations that they face as students.

10. Compared to the 2009–2010 academic year, college student trends showed that there was a 30% rise in students looking for help at campus counseling centers during the 2014–2015 academic year.

(American Psychology Association)

This doesn’t necessarily mean that more students are struggling with stress than before. In fact, it may be because of campaigns that help students recognize if they are at-risk and encourage them to seek help.

11. 46.3% of college students feel inundated with the stress of their college workload and what is expected of them.

(Affordable Schools)

However, according to statistics on college students, the percentage of students who actually seek help from a professional could be as low as 11%. Therefore, there are many students out there who are trying to deal with overwhelming stress on their own.

12. Around 40% of students feel stressed while at college.

(Affordable Schools)

The average age that someone will first be introduced to the concept of anxiety is at around 22, which matches up with the age of people who are in the middle of their studies or who are finishing up their courses.

Stats on College Students and Mental Health

Unfortunately, there’s a trend among college students, where they often find themselves experiencing anxiety and depression. Many students are reluctant to seek help, and the suicide rate among these college students is high. These statistics show the reality of mental health issues on college campuses in the United States.

13. Out of mental health issues, anxiety is the most prominent amongst college students at 41.6%.

(American Psychology Association)

This could be because of college-related stress and managing their workloads and expectations, or even worrying about college student debt, according to the statistics. In addition to this statistic on education and mental health, 36.4% of college students suffer from depression.

14. 30% of students struggle with completing assignments and studying for tests because of problems with their mental health.

(College Stats)

Half of the students interviewed claimed that their mental health wasn’t good. They considered it to be either below average or poor.

15. The third top reason for college student deaths is suicide.

(College Stats)

44% of college students in the United States claim to have experienced at least some of the signs of depression. College student suicide statistics are scary because 75% of students who struggle with depression don’t seek help from a mental health professional. This means that they aren’t able to treat the problem healthily and proactively.

16. 39% of college students deal with some sort of mental health issue to a significant degree.

(Active Minds)

Out of college students who think about suicide, 67% tell a friend initially before talking about the situation to anybody else. This means that college students need to be aware of the signs of mental distress so that they can advise at-risk friends to see a professional.

College Student Drinking Statistic

College students have a reputation for binge drinking and partying in excess. How much truth is there to these rumors? Well, these statistics should help demystify the reality of college students and their alcohol consumption.

17. Heavy drinking often leads to injury among students.

(Alcohol Rehab Guide)

Every year, around 600,000 people who are currently enrolled in a college injure themselves because of their alcohol intake.

18. Around 60% of college students claim that they had experimented with alcohol before starting college.

(Addiction Resource)

This shows that underage drinking can often occur before the college years. College student alcohol consumption statistics show that some college students carry on drinking, and some drink more regularly (and even binge) after they begin college, where it is more socially acceptable.

19. 25% of college students claim that they have struggled academically because of their alcohol consumption.

(Alcohol.org)

People who binge on alcohol on three or more occasions during a week are more likely (by six times) to struggle academically and have problems with classwork or assignments and tests.

20. Around 1,825 college students pass away as a result of injuries sustained while under the influence of alcohol.

(Addictions Center)

Alcohol lessens inhibitions and impairs decision-making ability, which leads people to make poor choices.

College Student Social Media Statistics

Millions upon millions of people make use of social media each day. So what kind of a relationship do college students have with these online platforms? These statistics will show what the most popular social media accounts are and more.

21. Around 98% of people at the age where they would be in college (18–24) use social media.

(HuffPost)

That’s almost entirely every college student. They use it to post about their lives, keep in touch with friends and family, and keep up with what’s happening in the world.

22. College student social media usage statistics show that 95% of young people are on Facebook, while only 40% are on Linkedin.

(Shweiki Media)

80% of college students are on Twitter, 73% make use of Instagram, and 48% use Pinterest. These are the top five social media platforms used by college students.

23. 40% of college students look at their Facebook page more than six times per day.

(Shweiki Media)

On the other hand, 63% of college students look at their Twitter feed at least once a day. 14% check their social media right after waking up in the morning, and 16% look at their social media accounts late at night. 24% of students browse through social media in the afternoon.

College Student Physical Health Statistics

Everybody knows about the “freshman 15”, but are college students generally unhealthy or, is that just a myth? These statistics will give you an insight into the health of the average American college student.

24. A 2007 survey showed that 38.5% of college students were over a healthy weight.

(Science Daily)

These students were either categorized as being overweight or obese, and some were even considered extremely obese. This shows that college students are the healthiest of eaters in general, especially when you look at the college student diet statistics.

25. Out of those surveyed, it was shown that 9.4% of college students in their undergraduate years were not covered by health insurance.

(Science Daily)

Further information from the study showed that younger students (the average age of these college students being between 18–24) were more likely to be insured, while older students (those between the ages of 25–29) were more likely to be uninsured.

26. Soccer is the most popular sport among college and high school students at 22%.

(Collegexpress)

Following soccer, there are outdoor track and field at 21%, basketball at 19%, and cross-country at 14%. The least popular sports are bobsledding, skeleton, luge, boules, and croquet.

Statistics on College Students in Healthcare

Medicine and healthcare are popular among students looking to study towards a career. In this section, you’ll find out a little more about those studying in the healthcare industry. From medicine to nursing, these stats on enrollment in colleges will give you insight into a booming industry in the United States.

27. College enrollment statistics show that for the academic year of 2016–2017, there were 53,000 applications to medical schools, but only around 21,000 were accepted to the schools.

(US Bureau of Labor Statistics)

According to college freshman statistics, that’s 40% of prospective students who made it into medical school. Medical school is incredibly competitive, with large numbers of people applying for the different schools each year.

28. More than 50% of all students studying in the health profession are student nurses.

(American Association of Colleges of Nursing)

This is important to note because nursing is the biggest profession represented in any hospital, which means that there needs to be a large number of student nurses to go into the profession as there are vacancies available for them.

Statistics about College Students Dropping Out

Unfortunately, not all college students walk away with a degree at the end of the day. In this section, we will take a look at statistics and dropout rates among students. Often it is because students struggle to finance their studies, especially first-generation students. However, some also struggle with the workload and the expectations they deal with as a college student. Here is some more information about college drop out stats.

29. If you look at college student statistics, you will see that a third of people enrolled in colleges around the United States eventually drop out without completing their studies.

(CreditDonkey)

This isn’t surprising as college can be more difficult than it seems, and it can also be financially draining. A good example of this is that more than half of all college students will only complete their studies after six years or longer if they complete them at all.

30. For those who are the first in their families to go to college, the dropout rate is higher.

(First Generation Foundation)

According to first-generation college student statistics, Around 89% of people from low-income backgrounds who are part of the first generation to go to a college end up dropping out before they are able to attain their degree.

Conclusion

Students are enrolling in university for a variety of courses. Medicine and other healthcare courses have proven to be quite popular, as these college student statistics show. But college students aren’t always living the healthiest lives and completing their degree within the time-frame that they are expected to. There are financial, medical, mental health, and stress difficulties that come with being a student. These statistics prove that to be true.