Direct Enrollment

About this Indicator

The direct enrollment rate is defined as the percentage of high school graduates who enroll in a postsecondary institutionwithin 12 months of graduating from high school or receiving a GED diploma. Postponed enrollment may lead to future obstacles to degree completion, such as the decay of academic skills and knowledge as well as the adoption of competing roles and obligations (e.g., work, family). Research has indicated that the odds of obtaining a bachelor’s degree decrease when a student delays postsecondary enrollment after graduating from high school.[1]

Data Source

National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS: Fall Enrollment.

U.S. Department of Education. ED data express: ACGR.

National Center for Education Statistics. Private school universe survey.

WICHE. Knocking at the college door.

Note. The number of graduates from private high schools in 2014 was estimated as the average of 2011 graduates and the projected number of graduates estimated by WICHE. The Private School Universe Survey does not provide data beyond 2011. The estimate for 2020 is not reported due to data collection problems that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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[1]Bozick, R., & DeLuca, S. (2005). Better late than never? Delayed enrollment in the high school to college transition. Social Forces, 84(1), 527-550.