FROM PEW RESEARCH College enrollment among young Americans has been gradually declining over the past decade. In 2022, the total number of 18-—to 24-year-olds enrolled in college was down by approximately 1.2 million from its peak in 2011.
![Bar chart showing that the share of 18- to 24-year-old college students who are men has declined since 2011, driven by a decrease at 4-year colleges](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/sr_2023.12.18_college-enrollment_01.png?w=310)
Most of the decline is due to fewer young men pursuing college. About 1 million fewer young men are in college, but only 0.2 million fewer young women. As a result, men make up 44% of young college students today, down from 47% in 2011, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau data.
Today, men represent only 42% of students ages 18 to 24 at four-year schools, down from 47% in 2011.