Projected enrollment for this semester suggests the student body will increase by 5.7% from last spring, according to the college.
New student registrations are up 10.7% and returning student registrations are up 5.3%, according to AACC’s Office of Planning, Research and Institutional Assessment. The schools of Health Sciences and Continuing Education/Workforce Development grew the most from spring 2022 to spring 2023, at 13.9% and 15.3% more students, respectively.
“Increased enrollment may mean that several of our initiatives are connecting with new students,” Tanya Millner, the vice president for learning, said in an email interview. “It may also mean that we are offering a great mix of options in scheduling that works well with students’ competing interests and obligations.”
Dan Baum, executive director of Strategic Communications, said students could be returning after taking time off during the pandemic.
“Many people who felt more isolated because of COVID are … feeling more comfortable,” Baum said. “We’ve tried to strike a great balance with what we offer in person and what we offer remotely, and people are more comfortable with that balance.”
Baum added that a new state rule giving free tuition to students who enroll in high school and community college at the same time might have contributed to the enrollment hike.
“That’s incredibly encouraging and motivating for many people,” he said.
Baum added: “Things are moving in the right direction. We want to meet our mission: to serve as many people as possible.”
Millner noted the numbers are preliminary, and that “enrollment can fluctuate.”