88% of college applicants to Contra Costa County’s 9 universities were admitted for fall 2022

Contra Costa County’s nine universities admitted an estimated 88% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 15% enrolled.

Of the nine institutions in the county, Saint Mary’s College of California was the only one that provided detailed enrollment data at the time.

At least 3,353 people applied to Contra Costa County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 34,357 students enrolled in the universities, including 33,595 in undergraduate and 762 in graduate programs. In total 8.6% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of Hispanic (36%) and white (24.4%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Diablo Valley College stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 16,097 students.

U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.

This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.

Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.

Data for certain years may be affected or missing by disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.