Ohio community college enrollment is rising
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Ohio's community college enrollment has begun to rebound from a pandemic plummet, even as overall undergraduate enrollment has yet to bounce back, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Why it matters: The high cost of college, economic anxiety and a hot labor market may be causing students to consider how to get the most bang for their buck when it comes to postsecondary degrees.
By the numbers: Between spring 2019 and spring 2022, overall enrollment in Ohio colleges dropped by nearly 53,000 students, or 9.2%.
- Over 17,000 of those students attended community colleges, which logged an even larger enrollment drop of 11.8%.
- But in spring 2023, while Ohio's overall enrollment dropped another 1% from the previous year, community colleges actually saw a modest uptick of 0.8%.
The big picture: The same trend is happening nationwide, Axios' Erin Doherty reports.
- A growing number of high school students participating in college dual enrollment programs — which increased 8% nationwide this spring — may be contributing.
- Ohio's College Credit Plus program, for example, remained popular even during the pandemic, a 2022 report shows.
Zoom in: Columbus State Community College's spring enrollment grew by 1.4% this year, nearly double the statewide increase, per data provided to Axios.
- In addition to College Credit Plus, The Columbus Promise, a new free tuition program for Columbus City Schools graduates, is attracting students, per data spokesperson Brent Wilder provided to Axios.
- The school is recruiting for students interested in growing fields like information systems technology, advanced technologies manufacturing, health care and logistics — and officials expect Intel's semiconductor plant will spark greater interest in electro-mechanical engineering.
What they're saying: "Our labor market is tight at a time when job growth in our region is plentiful and rapidly accelerating. Two-year and shorter programs are critical when it comes to generating enough local talent for our area residents to benefit," Wilder tells Axios.
What we're watching: Columbus State is projecting an enrollment increase of 15% for the fall 2023 semester compared to fall 2022, though official figures won't be ready until the end of summer, he says.
- That would put the school fully back on track, exceeding pre-pandemic fall figures by about 4.9%.