Graphs - Demographics

As larger numbers of younger women enter and complete graduate school, their overall share of those with advanced degrees have rapidly increased.

With their many religiously based institutions, Ohio's independent colleges are well suited to meet the desires of "Millennials" - including all of the traditional college-age populations - for a more spiritual life.

A report by the Pew Research Center confirms, as did Gov. Taft's Committee on Higher Education and the Economy, that Ohio has not been an attractive destination for interstate migration, even as it has been able to retain those who were born here.

A more detailed explanation of states' "stickiness" and "magnetism" is available at the AICUO weblog, www.aicuoblog.blogspot.com, including a link to the full report and a clever interactive display of the raw data.

Although a small group for now, speakers of Spanish, whether born here or elsewhere, represent Ohio's fastest-growing demographic, now totaling more than 300,000 residents.

The "better half" is now the better-educated half of US married couples.

Actual graduations from Ohio public high schools have, so far, been somewhere between the various federal projections. This leaves some question whether the expected long-term rebound from the most recent projection will actually occur.

New federal projections continue to predict a significant drop in the number of Ohio public high school graduates in the next decade. However, a slight rebound is forecast toward the end of the period, a welcome change from prior models.

Demographic changes pose both threats and opportunities to higher education, as even Ohio's neighbors show considerable variation in the rate of change in high school graduations.

Ohio has made considerable progress in access to college for traditional-age students, as the percentage of nonth-graders enrolling in college a year after finishing high school has nearly doubled over the last two decades.

The supply for traditional-age college students will dry up even faster in Ohio than for the region as a whole (see Midwest regional chart by scrolling down at http://www.aicuo.edu/GraphArchives.html). By 2012, there will be one-ninth fewer graduates from the state's high schools than there are this year.

New projections continue to show that high school graduations in the midwestern states will fall precipitously after this year's class.

Regardless of how well you did on your ACT - even if your school doesn't require the ACT - you're much more likely to graduate on time at an AICUO member institution.

Although Ohio's youger population is increasingly better educated, the state still has work to do just to even reach the nation's average.

Population Projection for 18- to 24-Year-Olds

It's not just the baby boom that's making Ohio Older.
As fewer Ohioans in the future will be of "traditional" college age, colleges and universities will need to add a new focus on adult learners.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Public High School Graduates in Ohio- Actual and Projected to 2016

#degreesbyrace

By 2010, the number of new high school graduations in Ohio will begin a precipitous decline. Where will the new college students come from?

Source: National Center for Education Statistics