California, the most populous state, also has the greatest number of first-time college students enrolled in postsecondary institutions.
The Digest of Education Statistics 2016 says that 262,081 people were enrolled as full-time, first-time students in fall 2015 in the state's colleges and universities. That represents more than 11 percent of the nation's first-time, full-time college students.
According to the digest, 2,366,068 first-time, full-time students were attending college. The 10 states with the most first-time, full-time college students account for 1,223,929 students—more than half of the total in the nation.
Here are the 10 states with the most first-time, full-time students in fall 2015.
