Data and analysis

Over 8,690,622 students graduate from college each year, with bachelor's degrees representing the largest share of completions. View data page

Sticker Price ranks highest in this extract at about 28,000, while Net Price (Income <$30k is lowest at about 8,500. View data page

Legal ranks highest in this extract at about 22, while Healthcare is lowest at about 8. View data page

Software Engineering ranks highest in this extract at about 105,000, while Web Development is lowest at about 72,000. View data page

Physical Therapy ranks highest in this extract at about 92,000, while Medical Assistant is lowest at about 36,000. View data page

Master's ranks highest in this extract at about 57,018, while Certificate is lowest at about 29,735. View data page

College 25 ranks highest in this extract at about 570, while College 1 is lowest at about 450. View data page

Approximately 45,000,000 Americans currently have outstanding student loans, representing 76.9% of all borrowers. View data page

Federal Loans is the most common payment method, used by 3500.0% of students. View data page

College 25 ranks highest in this extract at about 570, while College 1 is lowest at about 450. View data page

Technology ranks highest in this extract at about 450, while Other is lowest at about 150. View data page

Headline takeaways: Careers Analyzed: 77 Healthcare Careers careers; Data Period: 2024-2025; Average Employment: 25,820 (2025). View data page

Private For-profit ranks highest in this extract at about 75, while Public is lowest at about 35. View data page

The gender pay gap persists across all education levels, with women earning less than men at every degree level. Women with bachelor’s degrees earn $65,000 compared to $80,000 for men—a gap of $15,000 (19% lower). The gap is largest at the doctoral/professional degree level, whe… View data page

Approximately 33% of undergraduate students are first-generation college students (neither parent has a bachelor’s degree). First-generation students face significant challenges: they have a 6-year completion rate of 50% compared to 66% for continuing-generation students. Despit… View data page

Financial aid usage has remained relatively stable, with 44.0% of students receiving Pell grants and 43.4% using federal loans in 2023. View data page

Private for-profit institutions have the highest federal loan rates at 54.0% , while public institutions have the lowest. Pell grant rates also vary significantly, with private for-profit institutions showing the highest rates. View data page

Educational attainment in the United States has increased dramatically over the past 80 years. In 1940, only 4.6% of adults had a bachelor’s degree; by 2024, that figure reached 38.3% —an 8-fold increase. High school completion increased from 24.5% in 1940 to 91.4% in 2024. The… View data page

2300.0% of Americans hold a bachelor's degree or higher, reflecting the growing importance of higher education. View data page

Educational attainment varies significantly by state, ranging from 52.8% of adults with bachelor’s degrees or higher in Massachusetts to 24.2% in West… View data page

Headline takeaways: Careers Analyzed: 59 Education Careers careers; Data Period: 2024-2025; Average Employment: 14,007 (2025). View data page

Parent education significantly influences children’s educational and economic outcomes. Children of parents with bachelor’s degrees are 3.5 times more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree themselves compared to children of parents without a high school diploma. Median earnings for… View data page

Fine Arts has the highest debt-to-earnings ratio in this extract at about 1.62 , while Nursing is lowest at about 0.29 among the 7 field families shown. View data page

CA ranks highest in this extract at about 18,200, while GA is lowest at about 9,800. View data page

Medical school has higher annual costs at $55,000 compared to law school at $45,000 . Both represent significant financial investments. View data page

2-Year Programs ranks highest in this extract at about 56.15, while 4-Year Programs is lowest at about 52.24. View data page

College tuition inflation continues to outpace general inflation. The most recent annual rate was 2.7% , significantly higher than the overall inflation rate. View data page

Approximately 38% of community college students transfer to a 4-year institution, but only 42% of transfer students complete a bachelor’s degree within 6 years of transfer. Transfer students face unique challenges, including credit loss and adjustment difficulties, leading to lo… View data page

Here are the headline numbers: National median: $543.50; National average: $2,600.43; Total: 14,484,370. Comprehensive enrollment data including total enrollment, demographics, and breakdowns by institution type and View data page

College Scorecard reports a mean six-year completion rate of 52% at four-year institutions in our extract (2,283 campuses). Federal retention surveys and NSC cohort studies use different definitions—see benchmarks below. View data page

Significant racial disparities exist in college completion rates. Asian students have the highest 6-year graduation rate at 74% , followed by White students at 64% , Hispanic students at 54% , and Black students at 42% . The 32-percentage-point gap between Asian and Black studen… View data page

Headline takeaways: Careers Analyzed: 46 Business Careers careers; Data Period: 2024-2025; Average Employment: 51,691 (2025). View data page

HVAC ranks highest in this extract at about 350, while Carpentry is lowest at about 260. View data page

HVAC ranks highest in this extract at about 350, while Carpentry is lowest at about 260. View data page

HVAC ranks highest in this extract at about 350, while Carpentry is lowest at about 260. View data page

The average time to repay student loans is 3.7 years , based on median debt levels and earnings. This calculation assumes 10% of income goes toward loan repayment. View data page