Many community colleges are again reporting enrollment increases this fall, continuing a trend that started at the end of the Covid pandemic. Some are even hitting record numbers, but the figures can vary widely within a state.
Official numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center won’t be available for a few weeks to provide a data-based national picture, but based on information from colleges, many community colleges are seeing at least modest increases this fall.
In Texas, the Alamo College District is reporting about 103,000 students started this semester in August across its five colleges — about 13,400 more students since fall 2025. The district hit the 100,000 mark a year earlier than expected.
“We are opening more doors to higher education, workforce training and economic opportunity and we are meeting students where they are — whether they are earning college credit while still in high school, beginning college for the first time or returning to continue their education,” Chancellor Mike Flores said in a release.
For many colleges, dual enrollment remains an enrollment driver. At Alamo Colleges, dual-credit enrollment jumped to 25,260 students, up from 18,299 students certified last fall — an increase of nearly 38%. First-time-in-college enrollment in the district saw a modest 6% increase, reaching 16,923 students, up from 15,974 last fall.
Record numbers
About 440 miles away, Texarkana College (TC) has set a new enrollment record, with more than 5,100 students enrolled for the fall as of September 4, surpassing the college’s previous record of 5,054 students set in 2009. Like other colleges, TC continues to enroll students for second eight-week courses beginning October 12.
Workforce education is playing a significant role in the college’s growth, according to TC. For the fourth consecutive year, workforce enrollment has increased by more than 20% as students pursue education and training for high-demand careers in nursing, aviation technology, welding, construction, HVAC, automotive and diesel technology and other fields. Dual credit is another major driver of its enrollment.
Other colleges are also setting records. Northwest Iowa Community College (NCC) reports that this fall it has enrolled 2,068 students, the largest fall enrollment in the college’s history and only the second time NCC has surpassed 2,000 students. The total represents a 2.94% increase from last fall’s enrollment of 2,009 students.
The record enrollment reflects both strong recruitment and continued confidence from students and families, said Kristin Kollbaum, NCC’s director of marketing and communications. She noted that three years of enrollment growth — and a 26.6% increase over the past decade — show the value students see in NCC’s hands-on, affordable education and its strong student-success outcomes.
The State Technical College of Missouri also has reached a record with 2,483 students, marking a 5% increase in headcount over last year and the college’s 10 consecutive year of increasing enrollment. State Tech also saw an 8% increase in credit hour production, bringing State Tech’s full-time equivalent to 2,609 students.
Keeping up with demand
In North Carolina, enrollment at Johnston Community College (JCC) surpassed 7,000 degree-seeking students at the start of the fall term. That’s the highest first-day curriculum enrollment in the college’s history. As of the first morning of classes, credit-bearing enrollment headcount was up 8% compared to last year, while full-time equivalent enrollment had increased by 16%.
Since 2021, the college’s curriculum enrollment has increased by roughly 65%, the college reports. To support that growth, JCC has made significant investments in technology, infrastructure and organizational improvements designed to strengthen the student experience.
Some two-and-a-half hours away, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College set a fall semester record with curriculum enrollment reaching the highest level in the college’s history. With 8,082 students enrolled for the fall, Rowan-Cabarrus surpassed last fall’s total by 464 students, an increase of 6.1%. The record continues a multiyear increase in demand for the college, with 1,307 more curriculum students enrolled than in fall 2022, a 19.3% increase.
Some high-demand programs and specific course sections already have waitlists. Rowan-Cabarrus has responded to increased enrollment with additional course sections, multiple delivery options and continued development of programs tied to student and workforce needs.
“We are seeing demand across general education courses as well as many of our career and transfer programs,” said Michael Quillen, vice president of academic programs. “Our focus is on making sure students can get the courses they need and continue moving toward completion. That includes adding sections where demand supports them and offering courses in formats that give students more flexibility.”
Those options include traditional in-person courses, fully online courses and HyFlex courses. HyFlex allows students in participating courses to choose whether to attend in person or online on a given class day, which can make it easier to balance college with work, family and other responsibilities.
Variance with states
In Tennessee, community college enrollment increased 1.9% to 80,042 students, but the figures vary widely across the 13 community colleges, from a drop of -11.6% at Roane State Community College, to a 9% increase at Nashville State Community College, followed by Southwest Tennessee Community College with a 6.5% boost. While nine of the state’s community colleges saw increases, four saw declines.
Not all community college systems are seeing increases. In Kansas, the community college and technical college sectors reported decreases in both headcount and full-time equivalent enrollment. Community colleges saw a decrease of 1,246 students (-1.9%), while technical colleges saw a decrease of 827 students (-6.8%), according to the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR). Overall, the state’s public higher education system has experienced a -0.8% decrease.
“After three years of growth, our system is experiencing flat enrollment this fall, with uneven results across sectors and institutions,” said KBOR Chair Alysia Johnston. “The board remains focused on ensuring that education beyond high school remains affordable and accessible for Kansans and that students who enroll in our system achieve success in college and after graduation.”
Community college officials are closely watching whether numbers will start to flatten with the emerging “demographic cliff,” which represents falling U.S. birth rates. In addition, public dissatisfaction with higher education is a concern, though recent surveys show the public has more favorable views of community colleges than other institutions.
