Major demographic trends affecting the size and composition of the college population, and consequences for higher education are examined. Trends and implications include the following: the under-20 group will fall below 30 percent during the decade; total births and birth rates are up in the Sun Belt and holding even or declining in most of the Frost Belt; Native Americans, Hispanics, Orientals, and some religious groups are increasing rapidly; a much higher percentage of the diminished youth cohort of the decade will be from minority backgrounds, single-parent families, multiple-earner families, and others who may have problems getting prepared for college; industry, the military, government, and voluntary agencies are educating 75 percent of U.S. adult learners; there is a rapid expansion in the numbers of those over 65, which may affect issues of access to education and assistance; women and Blacks have rapidly gained better access to higher education, while Hispanics will also; and a large increase in the 35- to 44-year-old age group will mark the economic development of the 1980s. It is suggested that liberal arts institutions, which have relied on attracting a white, middle-class, suburban student body, will be more vulnerable, and collaboration with industry, the military, and others may bring new programs to higher education. (SW)