Diversity in Higher Education: Facts and Statistics

By

Jane Nam

Updated on April 29, 2024

Edited by

Lyss Welding

• Fact-checked by Marley Rose

Learn more about our editorial process

Around 40% of undergraduates are students of color. Find college student and faculty diversity statistics, and read about the benefits of diversity in higher education.

Credit: Image Credit: Xavier Lorenzo / Moment / Getty Images

Demographics of Colleges

Racial Diversity in College Enrollment

• White students made up nearly half of the total undergraduate population at 40.5%.^{Note Reference [1]}
• Hispanic and Latino/a students were the second largest group at 18.3% of the total undergraduate population.^{Note Reference [1]}

Diversity in College by School Type

• Private, nonprofit four-year universities were the least diverse institutions: 46% of students were white, and 34% of students were Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC). About 21% did not identify their race.
• At public four-year schools, 45% of students were white, 39% were BIPOC, and 16% did not identify their race.
• At public two-year schools, 37% of students were white, 45% were BIPOC, and 18% did not identify their race.
• At private, for-profit four-year universities, 29% of students were white, 43% were BIPOC, and 28% did not identify their race.

History of Diversity in College Enrollment, 1980-2020

• The representation of all racial/ethnic groups increased on college campuses between 1980 and 2022, except for white students.
• White students made up around 81% of the undergraduate population in 1980, but only 54% in 2020.
• The Hispanic and Latino/a population increased the most, from 4% of the student population in 1980 to just over 20% in 2020.
• Put another way, Hispanic and Latino/a student representation increased a whopping 408% in the past four decades.
• The Asian and Pacific Islander student population increased from 2.4% in 1980 to nearly 8% in 2020.
• The Black student population grew from 9% to 13%.
• The percentage of Native American/Alaska Native college students within the total student population hovered consistently between 0.7% and 1% from 1990-2020.

Racial Diversity in Colleges, 2019-2023

• Undergraduate enrollment declined by 1.03 million students during this four-year period, and all racial/ethnic groups’ numbers, except for Hispanic and Latino/a students, decreased.^{Note Reference [1]}
• White students experienced the biggest drop, with a 16.8% decrease in the number of students from 2019-2023.^{Note Reference [1]}
• White students made up nearly 46% of the student population in 2019, but this figure dropped to 41% as of 2023.^{Note Reference [1]}
• Hispanic and Latino/a students were the only racial/ethnic group that increased in undergraduate enrollment from 2019-2023 by just over 1%.
• Asian students experienced the smallest decrease in the number of students (-1%, or 9,000 fewer students).^{Note Reference [1]}
• Black student representation stayed about the same, at 11% of undergraduates.
• The percentage of Native American undergraduate students remained consistently at 0.7% from 2019-2023.^{Note Reference [1]}

Diversity on College Campuses

• Women have outnumbered men in college since 1979, and in 2022, 8.3 million women were enrolled in postsecondary institutions compared to 6.1 million men.^{Note Reference [5]}
• In a sample of nearly 182,000 students, the American Association of American Universities found that 0.9% of undergraduates identified as nonbinary or genderqueer, and 0.4% identified as trans as of 2019.^{Note Reference [6]}
• In 2022, 6.2% of full-time undergrads lived with children under 18, compared to 21.9% of part-time undergrads.^{Note Reference [7]}
• According to the Center for First-Generation Student Success, 26% of undergrads were first-generation college students in 2020, meaning their parents did not have a postsecondary education. Over half of undergrads (54%) did not have parents with bachelor’s degrees.^{Note Reference [8]}
• Over 1 million college students receive GI Bill® benefits, meaning they are active military service members or veterans.
• In 2022-2023, there were roughly 858,400 international students enrolled at U.S. colleges.
• It’s estimated that roughly 427,000 college students are undocumented, and 181,000 qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status.^{Note Reference [9]}

Why Is Diversity Important in College?

Benefits of Diversity in Colleges

Faculty Diversity

• White men made up 34% of all faculty and white women, 32%.
• White women made up the largest percentage of assistant professors, instructors, and lecturers.
• At the professor and associate professor levels, there was a higher percentage of men than women, regardless of race.
• The percentage of women faculty increased with lower academic rank.
• Asian and white men made up a higher percentage of faculty than their women counterparts.
• Native American/Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander women made up a higher percentage of faculty than their men counterparts.