The 1987-88 report of enrollments at public four-year colleges and universities offers data in many categories but provides analysis particularly of college freshmen data. The data for the report are from the national survey of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grand Colleges (NASULGC). The analysis of freshman enrollment first looks at regional changes and changes at historically black colleges and universities. It then provides a profile of the freshman class of 1987 that covers full- versus part-time attendance, minority student attendance differences, college selection, parental influence on choice of studies, and the financial picture. An assessment of the future outlook for this group looks at employment prospects, the increased popularity of teaching as a profession, student assistance trends, and changing educational requirements. Appendixes make up half the document and contain five major tables presenting data on AASCU enrollment data (full-time, part-time and grand total); NASULGC data (full-time, part-time and grand total); nonaffiliated respondents (full-time, part-time and grand total); methodological notes, and a list of states in each regional category. (JB)