Enrollment at Iowa's community colleges continues to climb

Fall enrollment at Iowa's 15 community colleges topped 100,000 for the first time ever this year, according to a report issued Monday by the state Department of Education.

The 100,736 students who were enrolled on the 14th day of the semester represented a 14.3 percent increase – the fastest growth rate since 1975 -- and marked the highest student population in the 43-year history of Iowa's community college system.

Last year, the state's community colleges enrolled 88,104 students. Projections call for enrollment for next year's 2010-11 school year to increase by about 3.5 percent based on current conditions, according to the report.

“Community colleges usually see more students during economic downturns, but this time students turned to community colleges in much greater numbers than they did in the past,” said Judy Jeffrey, director of the Iowa Department of Education.

Full-time students outnumbered part-time students for the first time since 2006, according to the annual enrollment report. Also, credit hours increased 15.3 percent since last year to a total of 966,945 credit hours this fall.

Average tuition for full-time students at Iowa's community colleges rose by $198 to $3,566 in fiscal 2010 – a 5.86 percent increase over last year and up considerably from the $1,937 average tuition for fiscal 2001.

Enrollment increased across the board at the colleges, but enrollment was particularly strong for those occupational or educational areas most affected by the recession, she said. Enrollment disproportionally increased for males and working-aged students between 25 and 64 years old, she noted.

“Unemployed workers are fueling unprecedented growth and waiting lists for many high-demand community college programs,” Jeffrey said.

Enrollment also increased for traditional students and those wanting to transfer to four-year colleges, according to the latest enrollment report. Transfer-oriented programs increased 25.8 percent this year to 64,121 students.

The number of high school students taking advantage of opportunities to enroll in community college coursework also increased markedly this year, Jeffrey said. The number of jointly enrolled students increased 13.2 percent to 26,111 students.

Jeffrey said Iowa's 15 community colleges provide transfer-oriented arts and science programs, career and technical programs, adult education, customized job training, programming for high school students, developmental education, and community services.

The post-secondary educational institutions have an “open door” admissions policy which guarantees Iowans an opportunity for educational assistance and career development, she added.

Details of the community colleges fall enrollment report can be found at https://www.iowa.gov/