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College Participation Rates
Percent of high school graduates enrolling in college directly out of high school
Seventy-one percent of Minnesota's high school graduating class of 2010 attended a postsecondary institution the following fall either in Minnesota or elsewhere. Fifty-one percent attended a Minnesota institution. 20 percent attended institutions out of state and 29 percent did not enroll directly in college after high school.
Participation Rates of Minnesota High School Graduates, 2010
In-state participation rate by race/ethnicity (Minnesota high school graduates enrolled in a Minnesota postsecondary institution)
| Race/Ethnicity | In-State Participation Rate |
|---|---|
| Black | 43.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 53.0% |
| Hispanic | 58.4% |
| American Indian | 26.9% |
| Total Students of Color | 48.1% |
| White, Non-Hispanic | 51.0% |
| Total in-state participation rate | 50.8% |
| Enrolled in other states* | 20.0% |
| Total participation rate of Minnesota high school graduates (enrolled in state plus out of state) | 70.5% |
*Percent participation out-of-state are not available by race and ethnicity. Out-of-state enrollments are from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS enrollment survey.
College Participation Rates of Minnesota High School Graduates, fall 1996 to 2010
Source: Minnesota Office of Higher Education (for Minnesota institutions); U.S. Department of Education, Enrollment Survey (for out of state)
Students Choose a Variety of Colleges
There were 63,781 Minnesota high school graduates in 2010 and 45,210 enrolled in college either in Minnesota or elsewhere in fall 2010. Of those enrolling in college, 72 percent chose to stay in Minnesota and 28 percent went out of state.
College Attendance of 2010 Minnesota High School Graduates in Fall 2010
Source: Minnesota Office of Higher Education (for Minnesota institutions); U.S. Department of Education, Enrollment Survey (for out of state)
Staying In Minnesota
Of the 72 percent, or 32,454 high school graduates staying in Minnesota:
- 38 percent, or 12,316 went to a community or technical college
- 20 percent, or 6,553 went to a state university
- 19 percent, or 6,240 went to a private four-year institution
- 19 percent, or 6,067 went to the University of Minnesota
- 4 percent, or 1,278 went to a private career school
Going Out of State
The 28 percent, or 12,756 high school graduates who went out of state, 67 percent, or 8,540 attended college in a state bordering Minnesota (Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota or Wisconsin). Many Minnesota residents take advantage of statewide reciprocity agreements that Minnesota has with public institutions in Wisconsin, South Dakota and North Dakota. These agreements reduce tuition and admissions barriers for Minnesota residents who want to attend public colleges in these neighboring states.
Changing Demographics
Participation rates by race and ethnicity are available only for students attending Minnesota institutions, so a complete picture of college participation of Minnesota's high school graduates by race and ethnicity is not available. Within Minnesota, the participation rates vary by race/ethnicity. While the changes may be due in part to natural fluctuations in decisions by relatively small groups of students, rates have been slowly heading upward.
In fall 2010, there were 5,460 students of color enrolled in a Minnesota college who were recent Minnesota high school graduates; an increase of 21 percent from 4,504 in fall 2006. During the same period the number of white students decreased 2 percent, Asian students decreased 6 percent and American Indian students decreased 31 percent; compared to increases of 142 percent for Hispanic students and 23 percent for Black students.
While participation rates for various racial and ethnic populations can vary by several percentage points from year to year, Asian high school graduates typically enroll in Minnesota postsecondary institutions at rates higher than other populations. White high school graduates have the next highest participation rate, followed by Black, Hispanic, and American Indian high school graduates.
Because some fluctuation in the rates from year to year, are expected, a look at the recent five-year average is recommended for the most accurate picture of participation by racial or ethnic group.
Five-year average college participation rates of Minnesota high school graduates who enrolled in a Minnesota postsecondary institution, fall 2006 to 2010
Minnesota's population is becoming more diverse, whether through foreign immigration, natural population growth, or secondary migration from other states. There were 63,781 Minnesota high school graduates in 2010; 18 percent, or 11,345 were students of color. Projections indicate that by 2023, students of color will comprise about 23 percent of Minnesota high school graduates. The largest increases are projected to be in the number of Hispanic and Black graduates; two student populations with historically low college participation and low high school graduation rates.
Minnesota Compares Well on Participation Rates Nationally
Minnesota's college participation rate ranks fairly high compared to other states. This is particularly noteworthy since Minnesota tends to have a higher high school graduation rate than other states. As a result, larger proportions of graduates are choosing to enroll in college immediately after high school than in other states.
Percent of High School Graduates Going Directly to College in Minnesota and Nationally
| Top 3 States 2004 | Top 3 States 2006 | Top 3 States 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | 68.8% | Mississippi* | 76.1% | Mississippi* | 77.4% |
| New York | 67.9% | New York | 74.4% | Massachusetts | 74.6% |
| North Dakota | 67.6% | North Dakota | 72.3% | New York | 74.2% |
| Minnesota (5th) | 65.3% | Minnesota (9th) | 68.4% | Minnesota (8th) | 69.2% |
| Nation | 55.7% | Nation | 61.6% | Nation | 63.3% |
*Note: Mississippi has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the nation, ranking 46th at 59.5 percent. It may rank first in college going due to the likelihood that the small percent who do graduate are more likely to enroll in college. Mississippi has the highest percent of its college students enrolled in 2-year institutions than other states. Mississippi ranked 16th in 2004 at 59.9 percent.
Percent of college-going rates by state ranged from a high of 77.4 percent to 45.7 percent in 2008.
States with high public high school graduation rates did not necessarily have high college-going rates.
Source: Postsecondary Education Opportunity
About Participation Rates
College participation rates are defined as the number of high school graduates who enroll in a postsecondary education institution the fall after high school graduation. Participation rates are calculated by dividing the number of Minnesota high school graduates by the number who attended a Minnesota postsecondary institution the fall following their year of high school graduation. The Office of Higher Education's student enrollment record database contains data on students' year of high school graduation, state of residence, and high school attended. New entering students, defined as not having previously attended a postsecondary institution, except while a secondary student, are used in calculating participation rates.
The numbers of high school graduates are obtained from the Minnesota Department of Education. Students who graduate from high school and delay college entry past the fall following high school graduation are not included in the participation rate. Data on enrolled students are revised to estimate missing information. Participation rates contain adjustments for:
- Missing year of high school graduation of new entering postsecondary students
- Missing data on racial/ethnic identity of new entering postsecondary students
- Missing data on racial/ethnic identity of all private high school graduates
Data on the number of students who attend a postsecondary institution out of state are obtained from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS enrollment survey, collected biannually. Institutions report the state of residence of freshmen who graduated from high school during the past 12 months.
The participation rate provides one measure along a complex educational pathway. Longitudinal studies and surveys, such as the 2006 Toolbox Revisited by the U.S. Department of Education, provide a more comprehensive picture of the student experience over time, however no such longitudinal study has been conducted in recent years for Minnesota.
National participation rates
Participation rates for the entire nation vary depending upon the source and methodology. At present, the two sources for the national average on this measure are:
- The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems reports a national participation rate of 69 percent for 2008, based on the Integrated Postsecondary Enrollment Data System's Fall Residency and Migration Survey. (Fall recent high school graduates enrolled nationally divided by high school graduates the previous spring.) More information.
- The National Center for Education Statistics reports a 70 percent participation rate for the country in 2009 based on the Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS). According to the National Center, this measure is subject to relatively large margins of error due to small sample size. More information.
More Information:
- Participation Rates by Racial/Ethnic Background
- College-Going Activity by High School
- Minnesota Institutions Attended
- Out-of-State Institutions Attended
