Voter turnout among Americans under the age of 30 rose to between 52 percent and 53 percent in this fall’s election, up from 48 percent in the previous presidential election, according to updated estimates released today by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.

The highest participation rate on record for that age group is 55.4 percent, which was achieved in 1972, the first presidential election after the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18.

About 23 million Americans under the age of 30 voted this year, about 3.4 million more than in 2004, according to the center, whose latest data update preliminary estimates of turnout it provided the day after the election. Of those young voters, 68 percent cast their ballots for Barack Obama, helping swing some battleground states into the Democrat’s column.

Young Americans who had attended college were more likely to vote than those who had not, according to the center’s data. While 57 percent of U.S. citizens under 30 have attended college, 70 percent of voters in that age group had gone to college, the center said. —Sara Hebel