Degrees Granted

The proportion of all degrees that were awarded by for-profit institutions increased from 3% to 7% between 1995-96 and 2005-06. In 1995-96, 9% of associate degrees were granted by for-profit institutions. A decade later, that proportion was 15%.

Key Takeaways

Just over half of all degrees granted are bachelor’s degrees. In 1995-96, 66% of these degrees were from public institutions, 33% were from private not-for-profit institutions, and 1% were from for-profit institutions. In 2005-06, 64% of bachelor’s degrees were from public institutions, 32% were from private non-profit institutions, and 4% were from for-profit institutions.
The total number of degrees granted rose by 31% over the decade. The number of master’s degrees granted grew by 46%, while the number of first-professional degrees rose by only 14%.

In 2005-06, public two-year and four-year institutions enrolled 74% of FTE students and granted 64% of all degrees. Private not-for-profit institutions enrolled 20% of FTE students and granted 29% of all degrees. For-profit institutions accounted for 6% of enrollments and 7% of degrees.

ALSO IMPORTANT

For-profit institutions accounted for about 1% of total FTE postsecondary enrollments in fall 1995 and about 6% in fall 2005. This growth was primarily in four-year institutions, which enroll three-quarters of the students in the for-profit sector.
For-profit institutions enrolled just under 6% of undergraduates and just over 6% of graduate students in fall 2005.
In for-profit institutions, 83% of undergraduate and 75% of graduate students are enrolled full-time. This compares to 63% of undergraduates and 54% of graduate students in all sectors who are enrolled full-time.

Figure 14a: Degrees Granted by Level and Institution Type, 1995-06 and 2005-06

Total Number of Degrees Granted, 1995-96 and 2005-06
	Associate	Bachelor's	Master's	First-Professional	Doctoral	Total
1995-96	555,216	1,164,792	406,301	76,734	44,652	2,247,695
2005-06	713,066	1,485,242	594,065	87,655	56,067	2,936,095
% increase	28%	28%	46%	14%	26%	31%

Public

Private Not-for-Profit

For-Profit

Note: First-professional degrees involve completion of all academic requirements to begin practice in any of the following fields: chiropractic, dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, podiatry, theology and veterinary medicine.
Source: NCES, Condition of Education 2008, Table 41.1. excel

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This graph was prepared in October 2008.

Figure 14b: Percentage Distribution of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions by Sector, Fall 1995 and Fall 2005

Public Two-Year

Public Four-Year

Private Not-for-Profit Two-Year

Private Not-for-Profit Four-Year

For-Profit

Source: NCES, unpublished data excel

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This graph was prepared in October 2008.