Enrollment & Admissions

Business has been booming at community colleges across the country in recent years, as a slow economy has sent many displaced workers and high school graduates in search of affordable higher education to their campuses. However, that trend appears to be slowing – at least for some areas of the nation – this year, as many community colleges are seeing slower growth rates and even a reversal in enrollment numbers. Why the change? While no one seems to know exactly why fewer students are now enrolling in community colleges, there are some theories circulating about the lower enrollment figures.

This video looks at falling enrollment in Michigan community colleges.

Michigan and California Community Colleges Facing Declining Enrollment

Michigan is just one of the Midwestern states that is seeing some of the most dramatic drops in community college enrollment this year. According to a report a CTI Career Search, schools in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo Valley are both facing smaller student bodies this year than last, with an approximate five-percent drop in enrollment numbers. More of the schools in the state are expecting similar declines.

“We’re hearing from at least a quarter of the schools, maybe as many as a third,” Michael Hansen, president of the Michigan Community College Association was quoted as saying at CTI Career Search. “There are a number of reasons. But when you consider

Many say that you are never too old to head back to school. But what about being too young? According to a recent report in USA Today, youngsters trying to accelerate their academic careers may find themselves against a roadblock when it is time to explore the world of higher education. At least, that is what a young Florida girl found out when she tried to enroll in a community college near her home.

The Case of Anastasia Megan

Anastasia Megan was 13-years-old when she applied to a local community college near her Florida home. The home-schooled student had completed all of the requirements necessary for high school graduation and was ready to advance in her academic career. She looked to Lake-Sumter Community College for the next step, but the college denied her application because administrators feared Megan was too young to sit with other college students in classes.

As a result of the college's decision, Megan and her family filed a formal complaint against Lake-Sumter, and the case is now being reviewed by the Office for Civil Rights. The premise of the complaint is that denial of college admittance based on age is a violation of the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, which "prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance." Under federal law, mediation must first be attempted before the Office of Civil Rights will get involved. The Department of Education verified that

With an economy – and numerous industries – that have apparently gone south, many are hopping on the continuing education bandwagon to obtain training in more lucrative professions. However, the increased demand for higher education has led to longer waiting lists for the required courses to complete degrees. This is particularly true at community colleges, where many adult students turn to shift career gears. Has this glut in higher education resulted in a black market for popular classes?

A recent advertisement on Craigslist may indicate that a black market for college classes is thriving, at least at Columbia Basin College in Washington. According to an article on Inside Higher Ed, the ad read as follows: "So I heard that some people are registering for classes that are in high demand to sell their spots in them, and Biology 160 is one of those classes. My roommate and I need into that class summer quarter, so if anyone is currently enrolled in any of the Bio 160 classes for SUMMER QUARTER and is willing to sell their spot on it or knows anyone who is, please, please, please let me know ASAP."

The sender of the email ad has been conspicuously anonymous throughout, refusing to respond to email messages from Inside Higher Ed. The posting was removed a few days later, and no one knows if a spot in the course was actually sold. Some doubt the legitimacy of the request and believe the posting was done

Despite a tough economic climate driving record numbers of adults to enroll in vocational and post-secondary education, California’s community colleges experienced a surprising drop in enrollment. The state’s community colleges recently announced that they enrolled approximately 1 percent fewer students during the 2009-10 school year than the previous academic year.

This comes after five consecutive years of surging enrollment (at an average growth rate of five percent per year) at California’s community colleges. Because California’s education system is, as the Sacramento Business Journal notes, the nation’s largest higher-education system, an enrollment decrease of 1 percent is significant. Enrollment for 2009-10 lagged behind enrollment for the previous year by nearly 21,000 students.

California Community Colleges’ chancellor Jack Scott announced the surprising decline in enrollment to reporters on February 24, prompting the inevitable question of why enrollment would be declining during a time with high rates of unemployment and swelling numbers of high school graduates.

This video looks at the causes of declining community college enrollments.

Lack of Resources, Not Lack of Demand

The short answer to the question of why enrollment at California community colleges dropped this year is a lack of resources. As the Silicon Valley Mercury News reports, California’s community college system has faced an 8 percent budget cut during the 2009-10 year. In his announcement to reporters, Scott said that budget cuts have forced

The secret of American community colleges has been revealed – to the entire world – and the population of international students enrolling in American community colleges is rapidly increasing.

The 2009 Open Doors report, issued by the Institute of International Education, provides a snapshot of current trends in international student enrollment in both community colleges and other institutions of post-secondary education. For anyone interested in the path that international student education is taking in America, the report is essential reading.

Texas and California Lead the Way in International Community College Students

The Open Doors report includes a list of the 40 community college with the highest populations of international students. Texas’s Houston Community College System tops the list; it boasts over 5,000 international students, which is about 9% of its total student population. Two other Texan community colleges also made it into the top ten: the Woodlands’s Lone Star College System, which enrolls over 2,000 international students, and Dallas’s Richland College, which enrolls over 1,200 international students. The percentage of the total student population that is of international origin for these two schools is 4.4% and 7.8%, respectively.

California also appears to lead the way in international student enrollment at community colleges. Like Texas, California is home to three of the top ten community colleges in terms of international student enrollment: Santa Monica College (in Southern California), De Anza College (in the Silicon Valley), and the City College of