Though final numbers aren’t in yet, there seems to be a trend of rising enrollment for the spring semester at community colleges.
Systemwide growth
The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) reported this week that enrollment at the state’s community colleges grew to more than 285,000 in the spring semester this year. That’s an 8.9% increase over a year ago.
Forty of the state’s 45 community colleges reported enrollment growth this spring, according to the report.
The ICCB also reported that there is a nearly 20% increase in students enrolled in dual credit programs, and a 23.4% increase in students pursuing associate degrees.
“With the largest spring-to-spring enrollment increase and the third straight year of growth, our community colleges have not only bounced back from the pandemic — they are now stronger than ever thanks to our historic investments in education,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement.
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) also reported increases.
Fourteen of the 16 KCTCS colleges have increased headcounts compared to last year, though all experienced growth in full-time equivalent enrollment.
The overall headcount is 71,849 students, up 4,748, a 7.1% increase compared to just one year ago. Full-time equivalent enrollment increased by 3,120 students or 8.3%, according to a press release.
Credential-seeking students increased 14.1%, workforce and nondegree students grew 9.0%, and high school students increased 0.5%.
“These enrollment increases are great news not only KCTCS, but for the future of Kentucky’s workforce and our state and regional economies,” KCTCS President Ryan Quarles said.
Diving deeper, the system found that enrollment among adults, or nontraditional students ages 25 and over, increased 9.8% from the same time last year. These students account for 30.5% of total enrollment.
Colleges celebrate growth
Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina began its spring semester in January with 25,000 degree-seeking students for the first day of classes – up more than 6% from last spring. The number includes nearly 21,000 continuing students and 3,900 new students.
One of the keys to Wake Tech’s continued growth is the college’s tuition-free Career & College Promise (CCP) dual-enrollment program, according to a press release. More than 4,400 CCP students are enrolled at Wake Tech this semester, which is up 19% from last spring.
In South Carolina, Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) announced an 11% increase in spring enrollment, marking the largest spring semester increase in the college’s history. HGTC now serves more than 7,700 students across its three campuses.
The surge includes increases in both new and returning students. The college has welcomed more than 1,600 new students and more than 6,000 continuing students, surpassing last year’s enrollment of 6,900 students. Additionally, HGTC’s dual-enrollment program has reached an all-time high, with more than 1,700 high school students taking college courses this spring semester — an 18.43% increase over Spring 2024.
According to HGTC President Marilyn Murphy Fore, “HGTC’s remarkable growth reflects our unwavering commitment to student success and workforce readiness.”
And Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) saw a 6% increase in enrollment from spring 2024, bringing total enrollment to 9,753 students.
Last year, the Missouri college refined its enrollment model to allow students to register for classes for a full year at a time. Students were able to begin enrolling in March 2024 for classes they would take that summer through the current semester.
Nebraska’s Southeast Community College enrolled 10,601 students at all three campuses as well as its dual credit and prison education programs. The spring enrollment is up 12% from last spring.
Of those enrolled, 161 are enrolled in the prison education program, and there are 3,389 students enrolled in career/technical fields and 3,383 in dual credit.
“Our enrollment increase is a powerful reminder of the importance of ensuring everyone in our service area has access to the life-changing benefits of higher education,” SCC President Paul Illich.
And in Mississippi, Jones College ranks first in the state in enrollment growth for the spring 2025 semester. Jones welcomed an additional 520 students over spring 2024 and generated 4,136 more semester credit hours, marking the most significant increase in both headcount and credit hours in recent history.
Northwest Mississippi Community College also saw gains, with a 7.9% enrollment increase for the spring semester. The college is celebrating 10 consecutive semesters of enrollment growth.
