Summary
In 2021, immigrants made up 13.6% of the overall population in the United States,1 a slight increase from 12.9% in 2011. In 2021, 13.5 million U.S. adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher were born abroad, comprising 17% of all U.S. adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher. College attainment rates for immigrants in the U.S. increased 6.5 percentage points between 2011 and 2021, a similar rate for all U.S.-born citizens.
Enrollment
- In 2015–16, first-generation immigrant students made up 9.3% of all undergraduates, compared to 8.8% in 1999–2000.
- In 2021, 39.1% of the foreign-born resident 18–24-year-old population were enrolled in college compared to 38.1% of the population overall.
- First-generation immigrant students are overrepresented in the public two-year sector.
- In 2015–16, 41.9% of first-generation immigrant students attended public two-year institutions, compared to 37.1% of second-generation and 34.1% of third-generation or more students.
- First- and second-generation immigrant students are much more likely to enroll at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) than other students.
