Higher Education in the United States
Optional stage of formal learning, secondary education. Also referred to as post-secondary education, third-stage, third-level, or tertiary education.
*Statistics:*
- Delivered at 3,931 Title IV degree-granting institutions, known as colleges or universities.
- Enrolled approximately 16 million students in 2022.
- 45.8% enrolled in a four-year public institution, 27.8% in a four-year private institution, and 26.4% in a two-year public institution.
*Types of Institutions:*
- Public universities
- Private universities
- Research universities
- Liberal arts colleges
- Community colleges
- For-profit colleges
*Functions:*
- Source for professional credentials
- Vehicle for social mobility
- Social sorter
- Status marker
*History:*
- Religious denominations established early colleges in colonial America.
- 9 colleges were chartered in Colonial America between 1636 and 1776.
- Protestants and Catholics opened hundreds of small denominational colleges in the 19th century.
- Junior colleges grew rapidly in the 20th century, eventually becoming community colleges.
*Challenges:*
- Financial crises
- Mergers and downsizing
- Class privilege
- Growing educated underclass
- Protests and political clashes
*Reform Efforts:*
- Gainful employment regulations
- College Scorecard
- Department of Education's attempts to publish data on socio-economic diversity, SAT/ACT scores, graduation rates, and average earnings and debt of graduates.
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