Enrollment Rises At NC Community Colleges For First Time In A Decade

Enrollment at North Carolina's community colleges has risen for the first time in nearly a decade. Forsyth Tech was the only regional college to see a decline.

Enrollment was up almost 4.5 percent across the state's community colleges in the fall of 2019, according to a release from the N.C. Community College System.

Significant enrollment increases were reported at Guilford Technical Community College, as well as at Rockingham Community College, and Alamance Community College.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports the only college to buck the trend was Forsyth Tech, where enrollment dropped by just over 2 percent.

Overall, 53 of North Carolina's 58 community colleges had more students this past fall than they did in 2018.

Peter Hans is the president of the N.C. Community College Program. He says one factor leading to the enrollment increase is more state funding for short-term training programs in fields such as health care, manufacturing, and information technology.

He also credits stronger recruitment efforts, improved student counseling, and a statewide advertising campaign.

Correction: An earlier version of this story did not credit The Winston-Salem Journal for its reporting.