Financial struggles, employment instability and community college recruitment efforts are most likely the main reasons why enrollment, especially this year, has “overwhelmingly” risen, say some college officials.
“Family savings accounts are just not like what they used to be,” said Kathleen Christensen, the vice president of student support and success systems at Austin Community College.
Christensen said that ACC, which has seven campuses in Austin and 38,000 enrolled students, has been anticipating an increase in admissions, but not as sharp of one as the 4,000 students seen this year. ACC has progressively hired more staff members to deal with the increase, she said.
Christensen attributes the enrollment increase to multiple factors. Along with campus accessibility and affordability, the school has been actively seeking disadvantaged students and those who might be the first in their families to go to college, she said.
“Families are understanding the way to move into the middle class is through education,” she said.
The community college remains appealing during recent economic struggles, since ACC has kept tuition at the same price for the past few years, she said.
“High school graduates realize if they spend their first two years at a community college, their dollars will stretch further,” she said.
Steve Johnson, a spokesman for the Texas Association of Community Colleges, said the price difference between community colleges and universities has also made community colleges appealing.
“Public colleges are sensitive to cycles of the economy,” Johnson said. “If you look at the past 40 years and at times of recession, as the economy goes down, college enrollment goes up.”
Tuition for a full-time student at ACC living within the Austin Community College district is $468. The cost of full-time enrollment at UT is roughly $4,500.
Mark Barrow, a third-year student at ACC, said while he might transfer out to take specialty classes at UT, he prefers saving money by going to ACC.
“My friends and I have taken our core classes at ACC,” Barrow said. “The teachers are knowledgeable, and it’s the same class for cheaper.”
Students like Barrow and high-school graduates are not the only ones filling the classrooms. People who have been out of school for decades are also starting to go back.
“There are definitely a lot more old people than when I started going to school three years ago,” Barrow said. “My mom’s 55, and she’s going to ACC this fall.”
Johnson said unemployed adults are returning to school to train themselves for better work opportunities. Even those who are employed find themselves worrying as they watch their neighbors lose their jobs, he said.
ACC also saw a rise in minority students. About 500 more African-American students and nearly 1,100 more Hispanic students enrolled this year than last year. About 78 percent of all minority freshmen enrolled in higher education attend community colleges, Johnson said. The changing demographics of the state also reflect the change in enrollment demographics, he added.
With enrollment numbers projected to rise, the ACC district will open a new campus in Round Rock in the fall of 2010 to reach more students in a highly populated area, Christensen said.
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