The statistics in this Almanac are meant to provide a broad view of higher education in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The figures are comparable from state to state and, in all cases, were the latest available at press time.

The time covered by the statistics varies from item to item.

The U.S. Department of Education typically releases statistics from its surveys of colleges and universities two to three years after collecting the data.

As a consequence, the latest figures on academic degrees conferred cover 2002-3.

Because of rounding, figures may not add up to 100 percent. The designation "n/a" indicates that data are not available or not applicable. In some instances, U.S. totals may include data on military institutions and outlying areas that are not shown separately.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Population:
SOURCE: Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov)
DATE: 2004

Age distribution:
SOURCE: Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov)
DATE: 2003

Racial and ethnic distribution:
SOURCE: Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov)
DATE: 2003
NOTE: The complete names of the racial and ethnic categories are as follows: American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; black or African-American; Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander; Hispanic or Latino; and white.

Educational attainment of adults(highest level):
SOURCE: Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov)
DATE: 2003
NOTE: Figures cover people 25 years old and older.

Proportion who speak a language other than English at home:
SOURCE: Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov)
DATE: 2003
NOTE: Figures cover people 5 years old and older.

Per-capita personal income:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce (http://www.commerce.gov)
DATE: 2004 (preliminary)

Poverty rate:
SOURCE: Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov)
DATE: average of 2002 and 2003 data
NOTE: Figures are based on surveys of 100,000 households conducted in the winter and spring of 2003 and 2004. Poverty thresholds vary by family size and composition. In 2003, for example, the threshold for a family of four was $18,660.

New high-school graduates:
SOURCE: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (http://www.wiche.edu)
DATE: Projections for 2005-6 and 2015-16 were made in February 2004.
NOTE: The projections cover both public and nonpublic high-school graduates in all states.

New GED diploma recipients:
SOURCE: American Council on Education(http://www.acenet.edu)
DATE: 2003
NOTE: General Educational Development diplomas are high-school-equivalency certificates awarded to high-school dropouts who pass the GED test.

High-school dropout rate:
SOURCE: Kids Count Data Book, 2005,Annie E. Casey Foundation (http://www.aecf.org)
DATE: 2003
NOTE: The figures represent the proportion of 16- to 19-year-olds who are not high-school graduates and who are not enrolled in school, a measure known as the "status" dropout rate. The statistics were prepared for the foundation by the Population Reference Bureau, using data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

POLITICAL LEADERSHIP

Governor:
SOURCE: National Governors Association (http://www.nga.org)

Governor's higher-education aide:
SOURCE: Chronicle reporting

U.S. senators:
SOURCE: Secretary of the Senate (http://www.senate.gov)

U.S. representatives:
SOURCE: Clerk of the House of Representatives (http://www.house.gov)

Legislature:
SOURCE: National Conference of State Legislatures (http://www.ncsl.org)
NOTE: Figures represent the composition of state legislatures as of April 6, 2005.

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Higher education:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov)
DATE: 2003-4
NOTE: Statistics include only degree-granting postsecondary institutions eligible to participate in federal financial-aid programs. Public institutions include those controlled by local and state governments, as well as military academies and other institutions operated by the federal government.

Statewide higher-education board:
SOURCE: State Higher Education Executive Officers (http://www.sheeo.org)

Private-college association:
SOURCES: National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (http://www.naicu.edu); Chronicle reporting

Institutions censured by the AAUP:
SOURCE: American Association of University Professors (http://www.aaup.org)
DATE: Action as of June 2005
NOTE: The AAUP censures institutions when it finds they have violated its standards of academic freedom and tenure. The standards seek to protect the rights of faculty members to free speech without fear of penalty, and to due process in appointment, promotion, and tenure decisions. The standards are included in the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, which was developed by the AAUP and the Association of American Colleges and Universities and endorsed by more than 150 other academic organizations. Censure was imposed on administrative officers at the institutions. The association also sanctions institutions for infringements of shared governance. The three institutions that have received that sanction are identified with the word "governance."

Institutions under NCAA sanctions:
SOURCE: National Collegiate Athletic Association (http://www.ncaa.org)
DATE: Action as of August 2005

FACULTY MEMBERS

Average pay of full-time professors:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov)
DATE: 2003-4
NOTE: Figures cover full-time members of the instructional staff on 9- or 10-month contracts only. Figures do not include medical-school faculty members. The average for all faculty members includes the categories of instructors, lecturers, and faculty members without ranks. Those categories are not shown separately.

STUDENTS

Enrollment:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov)
DATE: Fall 2002
NOTE: The complete names of the racial and ethnic categories are as follows: American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian and Pacific Islander; black, non-Hispanic; Hispanic; and white, non-Hispanic. Foreign students are nonresident aliens studying in the United States on a temporary basis.

Enrollment highlights:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov)
DATE: Fall 2002
NOTE: All proportions are based on total enrollment.

Proportion of enrollment made up of minority students:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov)
DATE: Fall 2002

Degrees awarded:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov)
DATE: 2002-3

Residence of new students:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov)
DATE: Fall 2002
NOTE: Figures cover only freshmen who had graduated from high school in the previous year.

Test scores:
SOURCES: ACT (http://www.act.org);College Board (http://www.collegeboard.com)
DATES: ACT, 2005; SAT, 2004
NOTE: The ACT is scored on a scale from 1 to 36. The College Board's SAT is scored on a scale from 400 to 1600. For each state, one score is given, depending on which test was taken by the larger number of students.

Graduation rates at four-year institutions:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov)
NOTE: Figures show the proportion of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates who enrolled at four-year institutions in 1996-97 and graduated within six years.

MONEY

Average tuition and fees:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov)
DATE: 2003-4
NOTE: Figures cover undergraduate charges and are weighted by fall 2002 full-time-equivalent undergraduate enrollment. The figures for public institutions represent charges to state residents.

State funds for higher-education operating expenses:
SOURCE: Center for the Study of Education Policy, Illinois State University (http://coe.ilstu.edu/grapevine)
DATE: 2004-5
NOTE: Figures include state tax funds appropriated for colleges and universities, for student aid, and for governing and coordinating boards. They do not include funds for capital outlays and money from sources other than state taxes, such as student fees or appropriations from local governments.

State spending on student aid:
SOURCE: National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (http://www.nassgap.org)
DATE: 2003-4
NOTE: The statistics cover aid to both undergraduate and graduate students. The category "non-grant aid" includes loans, tuition waivers, work-study, loan-assumption programs, and conditional grants.

Total spending on research and development by colleges and universities:
SOURCE: National Science Foundation (http://www.nsf.gov)
DATE: 2003 fiscal year
NOTE: Figures cover spending in science and engineering, and exclude spending in such disciplines as the arts, education, and the humanities.

Total federal spending on college-and university-based research and development:
SOURCE: National Science Foundation (http://www.nsf.gov)
DATE: 2002 fiscal year
NOTE: Figures cover federal obligations, which are funds set aside for payments. Institutions do not always receive them in the year in which they were obligated. Figures include only spending for science and engineering projects, and exclude spending in such disciplines as the arts, education, and the humanities.

Largest endowment:
SOURCES: National Association of College and University Business Officers (http://www.nacubo.org);Chronicle reporting
DATE: As of June 30, 2004

Top fund raisers:
SOURCE: Council for Aid to Education (http://www.cae.org)
DATE: 2003-4
NOTE: Figures are based on a survey of 971 institutions, which together received about 85 percent of all private contributions to colleges and universities. Rankings of institutions may be heavily influenced by the timing of fund drives, unusually large gifts, and other factors.