Approximately 50 statistical tables are presented to provide the latest data on higher education in 1979 and 1980 for the United States, the Southern Regional Board (SREB) region, and the 14 individual member states. Information contained in the tables is grouped under the six headings that form the sections of the publications: population and economy, enrollment and institutions, degrees, institutional finances, student finances, and faculty. An abridged composite of some of the more fundamental statistics is included, offering brief state profiles on population and economy, finances, and enrollment. Among the highlights provided by the data are the following: (1) residents of the 14 Southern states made up 30.6 percent of the total population of the United States in 1979; (2) per capita personal income in the region in 1979 was $7,896, which was 91 percent of the U.S. level; (3) appropriations of state tax funds for higher education were 15.4 percent of state taxes in 1978; the national average was 13.5 percent; (4) fall 1979 enrollment in Southern institutions of higher learning exceeded three million, representing some 26 percent of the national collegiate student body; and (5) although the number of part-time students continues to grow, the region still enrolls a greater proportion of full-time students than does the nation. (SW)