Enrollment of Associate Degree-Seeking Students

The majority of students enrolled in associate degree programs attended public two-year institutions (93.4 percent), followed by for-profit (4.0 percent), public four-year (1.5 percent), and private nonprofit four-year (1.1 percent) institutions.

By Carnegie classification, 88.4 percent of associate degree-seeking students attended associate institutions. The remainder enrolled primarily at bachelor’s (4.4 percent), special focus (3.6 percent), and master’s (2.3 percent) institutions. This pattern was consistent across most racial and ethnic groups except American Indian or Alaska Native undergraduates—13.3 percent of associate degree–seeking students from this group attended Tribal Colleges and Universities.

Enrollment of Associate Degree-Seeking Students Across Sectors, by Race and Ethnicity: 2019-20
Enrollment of Associate Degree-Seeking Students Across Carnegie Classifications, by Race and Ethnicity: 2019-20

Source

U.S. Department of Education, National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 2020

Data Notes

Data in the first chart reflect associate degree-seeking student enrollment at public four-year, private nonprofit four-year, public two-year, and for-profit institutions. Institutions were categorized into sectors based upon control of the institution and the length of the predominant award granted.

Data in the second chart reflect associate degree-seeking student enrollment at institutions that were classified by the 2018 Carnegie Basic Classification.

Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

! Interpret with caution. Ratio of standard error to estimate is greater than 30 percent but less than 50 percent.

!! Interpret with caution. Ratio of standard error is greater than 50 percent.

‡ Reporting standards not met