US Department of Education data on Graduate and First-Professional Enrollment

In 1976, some 1.3 million students were enrolled in graduate programs: 715,000 males and 619,000 females. Graduate enrollment fluctuated between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s but increased between 1985 and 2007 to 2.3 million. For females, enrollment increased between the mid-1970s and 2007 to nearly 1.4 million, while for males, enrollment decreased between the mid- and late 1970s and fluctuated in the early 1980s, before increasing through 2007 to 910,000.. . .more