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

• preenrollment noun
• reenrollment 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

Private school enrollment dropped 6.6% compared with last year; it’s now a little less than before the pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

The global higher education analysis firm Quacquarelli Symonds External link forecasts that international enrollment in European universities will grow by about 5% a year to 2030.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

The Amherst, Mass., campus faced well-publicized struggles—falling enrollment and rising costs—common to many small private schools nationwide.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Los Angeles County, with 80 school districts, has far more students than any other California county, so its effect on statewide enrollment always will be significant.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

The guidance counselor knew Phil, and they chatted while he filled out the enrollment forms.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Related Words

• admission
• enlistment
• recruitment