Alabama community colleges see enrollment increase compared to last year • Alabama Reflector

In Alabama, community college enrollment is trending upward.

Neil Scott, vice chancellor for student success for the Alabama Community College System, said Wednesday that student enrollment at the state’s two-year colleges increased 7% compared to January 2024, with 21 of the 24 colleges seeing an increase in headcount.

Scott cautioned that the numbers likely shifted slightly due to enrollment changes that typically occur in early January, and said more accurate numbers will be provided in February.

“One of the dangers of creating an enrollment update PowerPoint presentation right at the start of a semester is that the numbers change drastically every day. As you can imagine, even though they are only a day old, these slides are already a little dated,” Scott said.

ACCS also reported a nearly 8% increase in applications last year, with over 2,000 more applications than the year before, and 18 colleges are currently experiencing an increase.

Scott said early data suggests an increase in freshmen, transition students, dual-enrollment students and students who may have decided to readmit at some point and want to return to a community college.

The community college system also reported an increase in enrollment at ACCS schools 6.2% year-on-year in August for the 2023-2024 academic year. The year also marked the highest headcount of any college since 2013-2014.

Nationwide, enrollment at public two-year colleges increased 4.7% between 2023 and 2024.

ACCS trustees will consider their 2025 legislative agenda at their February meeting. Items could include a 5% increase in operations and maintenance funding for community colleges; salary increases for faculty and staff; increased funding for prison education and increased funding for certification and credential expansion, dual enrollment scholarships, and licensed practical nurse (LPN) programs.