Total college enrollment in Massachusetts has reached 404,065 students, marking a increase of 3,338 students over the past decade. During this period, the gender gap in higher education continued to widen: the gender ratio decreased from 79.84 to 77.06 male students per 100 female students, reflecting a strong relative growth in female college enrollment.
For the academic year 2024-2025, Massachusetts Colleges enrollment is approximately 43.52% male (175,861 males) and 56.48% female (228,204 females).
From 2015 to 2025, total enrollment at Massachusetts Colleges increased by 3,338 students, from 400,727 to 404,065. Male enrollment decreased by 2,042 students, while female enrollment increased by 5,380 students. The number of male students per 100 female students remained relatively stable, changing from 79.84 to 77.06.
Over this period, male enrollment fluctuated year over year, while female enrollment fluctuated.
| Year | Total Students | Male Students | Female Students | Males per 100 Female Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 400,727 | 177,903 (44.40%) | 222,824 (55.60%) | 79.84 |
| 2015-16 | 406,055 | 179,967 (44.32%) | 226,088 (55.68%) | 79.60 |
| 2016-17 | 408,126 | 180,391 (44.20%) | 227,735 (55.80%) | 79.21 |
| 2017-18 | 411,796 | 182,476 (44.31%) | 229,320 (55.69%) | 79.57 |
| 2018-19 | 413,265 | 182,265 (44.10%) | 231,000 (55.90%) | 78.90 |
| 2019-20 | 410,622 | 179,697 (43.76%) | 230,925 (56.24%) | 77.82 |
| 2020-21 | 400,310 | 172,657 (43.13%) | 227,653 (56.87%) | 75.84 |
| 2021-22 | 409,765 | 176,103 (42.98%) | 233,662 (57.02%) | 75.37 |
| 2022-23 | 405,820 | 174,556 (43.01%) | 231,264 (56.99%) | 75.48 |
| 2023-24 | 403,363 | 174,857 (43.35%) | 228,506 (56.65%) | 76.52 |
| 2024-25 | 404,065 | 175,861 (43.52%) | 228,204 (56.48%) | 77.06 |
| Average | 447,391 | 195,673 (43.74%) | 251,718 (56.26%) | 77.74 |
The following is an analysis of the male per female ratio (male students per 100 female students) at Massachusetts Colleges by school control.
Comparing school types, Public schools had the highest latest ratio (82.07), while Private for-profit schools had the lowest (40.00), a gap of 42.07 points. Private for-profit schools saw the largest shift over the period (-68.32 points).
Bottom line: Male students' share of total enrollment tends tostay flat from 45.5% to 45.1% at Public colleges and stay flat from 43.6% to 42.9% at Private nonprofit colleges. Female students' share of total enrollment tends to stay flat from 54.5% to 54.9% at Public colleges, stay flat from 56.4% to 57.1% at Private nonprofit colleges over the period.
| Year | Public | Private nonprofit | Private for-profit | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Ratio | Male | Female | Ratio | Male | Female | Ratio | |
| 2014-15 | 58,817 | 70,463 | 83.47 | 121,212 | 156,953 | 77.23 | 1,822 | 1,682 | 108.32 |
| 2015-16 | 59,696 | 70,784 | 84.34 | 122,306 | 159,636 | 76.62 | 1,526 | 1,749 | 87.25 |
| 2016-17 | 59,843 | 70,576 | 84.79 | 122,676 | 161,310 | 76.05 | 654 | 1,526 | 42.86 |
| 2017-18 | 59,923 | 70,581 | 84.90 | 124,670 | 162,855 | 76.55 | 554 | 1,360 | 40.74 |
| 2018-19 | 58,889 | 69,058 | 85.27 | 124,959 | 163,761 | 76.31 | 515 | 1,426 | 36.12 |
| 2019-20 | 57,980 | 69,187 | 83.80 | 123,454 | 164,491 | 75.05 | 177 | 432 | 40.97 |
| 2020-21 | 55,670 | 68,045 | 81.81 | 118,532 | 162,201 | 73.08 | 232 | 459 | 50.54 |
| 2021-22 | 53,597 | 66,524 | 80.57 | 123,362 | 168,658 | 73.14 | 133 | 213 | 62.44 |
| 2022-23 | 52,843 | 64,659 | 81.73 | 121,649 | 166,445 | 73.09 | 64 | 160 | 40.00 |
| 2023-24 | 52,757 | 63,949 | 82.50 | 122,100 | 164,557 | 74.20 | - | - | - |
| 2024-25 | 52,711 | 64,224 | 82.07 | 123,150 | 163,980 | 75.10 | - | - | - |
The following is an analysis of the male per female ratio (male students per 100 female students) at Massachusetts Colleges by student level.
| Year | Undergraduate | Graduate | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 82.19 | 75.25 | 6.94 |
| 2015-16 | 82.36 | 74.28 | 8.08 |
| 2016-17 | 82.19 | 73.63 | 8.56 |
| 2017-18 | 82.73 | 73.78 | 8.95 |
| 2018-19 | 81.99 | 73.32 | 8.67 |
| 2019-20 | 81.36 | 71.57 | 9.79 |
| 2020-21 | 79.85 | 69.10 | 10.75 |
| 2021-22 | 79.20 | 69.17 | 10.03 |
| 2022-23 | 78.84 | 69.97 | 8.87 |
| 2023-24 | 79.37 | 71.82 | 7.55 |
| 2024-25 | 79.44 | 73.08 | 6.36 |
| Average | 80.87 | 72.27 | 8.60 |
The following is an analysis of the male per female ratio (male students per 100 female students) at Massachusetts Colleges by enrollment status.
Overall, the male per female ratio for full-time students is 81.58 and for part-time students is 65.87 males per 100 female students.
| Year | Full-time | Part-time | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 84.41 | 66.34 | 18.07 |
| 2015-16 | 83.98 | 66.73 | 17.25 |
| 2016-17 | 83.69 | 65.73 | 17.96 |
| 2017-18 | 83.67 | 66.85 | 16.82 |
| 2018-19 | 82.65 | 67.15 | 15.50 |
| 2019-20 | 81.81 | 65.39 | 16.42 |
| 2020-21 | 79.32 | 65.53 | 13.79 |
| 2021-22 | 79.28 | 63.22 | 16.06 |
| 2022-23 | 78.80 | 64.77 | 14.03 |
| 2023-24 | 79.87 | 65.60 | 14.27 |
| 2024-25 | 79.95 | 67.26 | 12.69 |
| Average | 81.58 | 65.87 | 15.71 |