HLC has released a new report on trends within our membership related to student enrollment, program completion, financial resources and other factors. The report is based on an analysis of data reported by HLC member institutions in the 2025 Institutional Update. 

Key takeaways include: 

• Student enrollment continues to rebound post-pandemic across HLC member institutions, with an overall increase of 3% from 2023 to 2024. 
• Trends related to degree and certificate program completion are mixed. The number of conferred degrees increased very slightly between 2023 and 2024, after declining in 2022 and 2023. The overall number of bachelor’s degrees conferred has decreased each year from 2022–2024. However, the number of certificate and specialist degrees conferred increased by 11% and nearly 16%, respectively, between fall 2023 and fall 2024. 
• The size of the institutional workforce at member institutions increased each year from 2022 to 2024. 
• Composite Financial Index (CFI) scores for public institutions rebounded in 2024 and 2025 following a drop in 2023. CFI scores for for-profit and private nonprofit institutions have remained flat over the same period.