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Washington, DC - As expected, engineering undergraduate enrollment dipped in 2005. Freshman enrollment
declined for the third year in a row after reaching a twenty year high in 2002. The freshman class that
enrolled in 2005 decreased 2,950 students and stands at 100,411.
From 1985 to 1999, engineering student totals at the undergraduate level have been either in decline or relatively
static. Starting in 1997, the freshman engineering classes began to grow, although the numbers dipped down in 1999.
The rising freshman numbers suggested a subsequent increase in bachelor's degrees, which indeed began to happen in 2000,
when engineering bachelor's degrees increased from a 19-year low. In 2005, the number of bachelor degrees leveled off at 76,003.
Based on the recent decline in freshman enrollment, we predict that total full-time undergraduate enrollments peaked in 2004
and bachelor degrees have reached a maximun. Master's candidates in engineering decreased for the second year in a row while PhD
enrollment continued its six year climb.
This information comes from the latest Engineering & Technology Enrollments, Fall 2005 survey
undertaken by the Engineering Workforce Commission. For more information on salaries, plus
information on engineers enrolled in or graduating from engineering schools, please go to the
Engineering Workforce Commission web site at http://www.ewc-online.org or call us directly at 1-888-400-2237 x 203.
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