Durham Reporter

Durham County's six universities admitted an estimated 17.2% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 26.9% enrolled.

Of the six institutions in the county, two provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Duke University and North Carolina Central University.

At least 58,439 people applied to Durham County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 30,137 students enrolled in the universities, including 16,835 in undergraduate and 13,302 in graduate programs. Only 2.3% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of Black or African American (38.8%) and white (24.9%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Duke University stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 18,023 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%.

Institution	# of Applicants	# of Admitted Students	Total Enrollment
Durham Technical Community College	--	--	4,294
Duke University	50,016	3,001	18,023
Watts College of Nursing	--	--	163
North Carolina Central University	8,423	7,075	7,553
Bull City Durham Beauty and Barber College	--	--	9
Elevate Salon Institute	--	--	95