In this electronic factbook, Policy Indicators for Higher Education: WICHE States, WICHE compiles data from a variety of sources into regional and state-level data tables across a range of topics important to policymakers, educators, and researchers in the West.
The indicators are updated throughout the year as newer data become available. But because the data sources have varying schedules for releasing data, the most recent year covered by each indicator may vary. Detailed source and notes are included in each table.
View the data tables by selecting a dropdown to view a specific or all data categories. Clicking the title links within will download an Excel file with regional and state-by-state data. In addition to the downloadable Excel files, the latest enrollment data can be viewed in an interactive tableau dashboard using the button below.
Total population by age group and population projections through the mid-2020s
Total population by race and ethnicity
Share of adults with an associate or higher degree
Projected labor market needs from The Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce
Projections of public high school graduates by race and ethnicity. See WICHE’s Knocking at the College Door for more detailed data on the projections of high school graduates through 2037.
Number of high school graduates and number of students enrolled in a postsecondary institution within 12 months of graduating high school
Number of high school graduates and number of associate degree recipients three years later and bachelor degree recipients six years later
Number of undergraduates by state and race/ethnicity, as well as the change in the relative share of the undergraduate population by race and ethnicity in the past ten years
Total number of undergraduates by type of institution (public two- and four-year and private nonprofit) and the share of total undergraduates enrolled by institution type
Count of undergraduates enrolled by age grouping, part- and full-time status, and institution type (public two- and four-year and private nonprofit)
Number of undergraduates enrolled by part- and full-time status and the share of enrollment by institution type
Number of first-time undergraduates enrolled in postsecondary institutions by state of residency
Graduation rates of first-time, full-time undergraduates (degree awarded within 150 percent of program time), statewide averages, by type of postsecondary institution
More expansive than Graduation Rates, this indicator table provides the completion and transfer patterns of undergraduates by their type of enrollment (part- or full-time) and whether they were enrolling for the first-time or not (see also WICHE Insights Exploring IPEDS Outcome Measures in the WICHE Region)
State and regional average tuition and fees at public two- and four-year institutions in the West (see WICHE’s Tuition and Fees in Public Higher Education in the West for a comprehensive view of tuition and fee trends in the region)
State average tuition and fees at public two- and four-year institutions as a percent of household income for households with children under 18 (these data are also displayed in the annually updated Benchmarks: WICHE Region)
Percentage of first-time undergraduates receiving aid by type of aid (federal, state/local, and institutional grants and loans)
Restricted and unrestricted grant aid per FTE at public institutions by Carnegie Classification (associates, baccalaureate/master’s, and research)
The most recent fiscal year and historical data on Pell awards and recipients by state
State-level amounts of grant aid awarded by type of institution (public two- and four-year and private nonprofit)
Average amount of state-sponsored grant aid awarded and share of aid awarded on the basis on need
View trends in state grant aid awarded per-student on WICHE’s annually updated finance dashboard.
Dollar amounts and share of total state spending by expenditure category (K-12, Higher education, Temporary and Other Assistance, Medicaid, Corrections, Transportation, and Other)
Five- and one-year change in state expenditures by category (K-12, Higher education, Temporary and Other Assistance, Medicaid, Corrections, Transportation, and Other)
State general fund expenditures to higher education as a share of state tax revenue over the past 10 fiscal years
Trends in state general fund expenditures to higher education and the share of all general fund expenditures
View trends in state funding per-student on WICHE’s annually updated finance dashboard.
Distribution revenue at public institutions by source of revenue and institution type
Tuition and fees revenue as share of institutional expenditures at public institutions by institution type
Tuition and fees revenue as share of operating expenditures at public institutions by institution type
Annual expenditures by functional area and share of total operational expenditures
Operating expenditures per student by institution type
Research and development expenditures at colleges and universities by source of funds