enrollment

American  

[en-rohl-muhnt] / ɛnˈroʊl mənt /

especially British, enrolment

noun

1. the act or process of enrolling.

2. the state of being enrolled.

3. the number of persons enrolled, as for a course or in a school.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reenrollment
  noun
• preenrollment
  noun
• superenrollment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of enrollment

First recorded in 1525–35; enroll + -ment

Explanation

When you sign up for something, like a new school, a medical trial, or a club, that's enrollment. Your enrollment in that art class is dependent on paying your tuition bill first! In voting, enrollment means adding someone's name to the electoral roll after they've registered to vote. And in college, enrollment means the process of matriculating, or formally becoming a student at a university. You can also use this word for the total number of students at a school: "The preschool's enrollment is down this year." Enrollment is from the verb enroll and its Old French source, enroller which means "write in a register."

Example Sentences

The social safety net scholar Angela Rachidi notes the program was “due for a decline” after elevated enrollment during the pandemic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

Outside of a six-month open enrollment window, you can be denied a policy or charged more based on your health status.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

In Maine, enrollment in a program granting $500 to newborns switched from 40% to 100%.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026

That’s when her mother, Jeannette, 45, first heard about college dual enrollment.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

Bishop Ambrose Reeves of Johannesburg took the extreme step of closing his schools, which had a total enrollment of ten thousand children.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• admission
• enlistment
• recruitment