The total number of college students in that year was 35.83 million.
We can start by setting up a proportion:
24/100 = 8.6/x
where x is the total number of college students.
Solving for x:
x = (8.6 x 100) / 24
x = 35.83 million
Therefore, the total number of college students in that year was 35.83 million.