Spring enrollment rose modestly year over year, but the gains were concentrated in undergraduate programs and specific credential types, while graduate enrollment softened, according to National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data released Thursday. Total spring enrollment reached 18.6 million students, up 1% from spring 2025. Undergraduate enrollment grew to 15.5 million (+1.3%), with community colleges up 3% and public four-year institutions up 1.5%. Private four-year colleges and graduate schools were described as essentially unchanged, with graduate headcounts down 0.1% to 3.1 million. The report also flagged a swing at the program level: undergraduate certificate programs grew fastest (+10.2%), while computer science enrollment declined—down 8.4% at four-year colleges and 11.2% at two-year institutions. For graduate students, declines were driven by master’s programs and international students, including a -4.3% drop in graduate international enrollment. Higher ed leaders are likely to treat these numbers as a planning signal: underwriting undergraduate and certificate demand may not automatically offset pressure in graduate and international recruitment, where the revenue impact is more immediate.