College officials have different theories about why more women than men are earning bachelor's degrees, but there's no question that the trend is growing across the country and in Lancaster County.

According to a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly one-third — 33.1 percent — of women ages 25 to 29 reported in 2007 that they had earned a bachelor's degree or higher. That compares with 26.3 percent of men in that age range.

Alan Caniglia, senior associate dean of faculty and vice provost for planning and institutional research at Franklin & Marshall College, said the trend of women outnumbering men started at F&M three years ago.

Caniglia noted that the college didn't become co-educational until 1969.

During the 1980s, he said, incoming freshman classes were made up of equal numbers of males and females. But recently women have begun to dominate incoming freshman classes — and graduate at a higher percentage then men.

The 2003 F&M freshman class was 46.3 percent women, compared to the 2007 freshman class, of whom 52.8 percent were women.

"There is no airtight explanation for why this is happening," Caniglia said. "But I believe it has something to do with barriers that historically have been present for women are crumbling. I'm not saying they're gone, but they are far less structured than they used to be."

Caniglia said that about 83 percent of all students who attend F&M graduate. But the percentage of women students who graduate, 86 to 87 percent, is slightly higher that that of men who graduate at a rate of about 80 percent.

Census Bureau data suggest that women's enrollment has been outpacing men's enrollment for more than a decade.

In 1997, 29.3 percent of women ages 25 to 29 said they had earned a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 26.3 percent of men in that age range, according to the Census Bureau.

At Elizabethtown College, 319 women graduated with bachelor's degrees compared to 152 men in the 2006-07 school year, according to Paul Cramer, the college vice president for admissions and enrollment.

But Cramer said those numbers are indicative of the fact that 65.5 percent of the student body at Elizabethtown College is female.

The female student population at Elizabethtown historically has been higher than the male population, Cramer said, because the school offers programs he describes as "female-heavy," such as education, psychology and communications.

Another reason, Cramer said, is that the college doesn't have a football team.

"That discounts a significant group of students," Cramer said.

The National Center for Education Statistics says that by 2017 half again as many women as men will earn a bachelor's degree.

Even so, while college enrollment among women is surging, women have yet to close the gap from earlier generations. Among all men 25 years or older, 29.5 percent have bachelor's degrees or higher, compared to 28 percent of women in the same age group.

Joe Revelt, Millersville University's director of institutional research, said there are many factors that contribute to graduation rates, such as academics, a student's financial situation and support from family and friends.

"Another factor is integration and how invested they are in the campus community," he said.

According to Revelt, 59.2 percent of MU's incoming class in 2006 were women. But that's not surprising: Like Elizabethtown College, MU has many programs that appeal to women, such as elementary education.

In the 2006-07 school year, MU awarded 1,392 undergraduate degrees its students; of those, 202, or 15 percent, were in elementary education, Revelt said.

The Census Bureau data also highlight the difference in earnings for Americans who receive college degrees and those who do not.

In 2006, those with a master's, professional or doctoral degree took home an average annual salary of $82,320. Those with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $56,788.

Revelt said research suggests that women will have a greater impact on the economy because higher education is reflective of a larger income.

"When individuals make more money, they will have more disposable income," Revelt said.

E-mail: mpennino@lnpnews.com