98.1% of college applicants to Howard County’s 2 universities were admitted for fall 2022

Howard County’s two universities admitted a total of 98.1% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 26.1% enrolled.

All two institutions in the county provided detailed enrollment data at the time.

At least 1,187 people applied to Howard County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 4,225 students enrolled in the universities, including 3,888 in undergraduate and 337 in graduate programs. In total 11.6% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (78.9%) and Black or African American (5.9%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Central Methodist University-College of Graduate and Extended Studies stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 3,145 students.

U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.

This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.

Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.