BENTONVILLE -- Northwest Arkansas Community College's enrollment is nearly identical to what the school had at this point in both of the two previous fall semesters.
The college reported 7,960 students taking courses for credit on Tuesday, the fall semester's 11th day of classes. That represented a decline of 13 students, or 0.16 percent, from the same point last year. It's only two students fewer than what the college reported in 2015.
Enrollment
Northwest Arkansas Community College’s enrollment on the 11th day of classes for the past five fall semesters.
YearEnrollmentPercent change from previous fall
20138,102-3.8
20148,1640.8
20157,962-2.5
20167,9730.1
20177,960-0.2
Source: Staff Report
Eleventh-day numbers are used by the state to compare enrollment from year to year. Numbers released Tuesday are preliminary; official 11th-day figures are provided to the state in October.
Despite a drop in head count, the college reported the number of credit hours being taken is up from 70,947 last year to 71,948 this year, an increase of 1.4 percent.
Todd Kitchen, vice president of student services, spoke at last month's board meeting about the college's desire to see more students signing up for more credit hours so they may more quickly achieve a degree. The college's students were signed up for an average of about 9.3 credit hours each, he said.
"We are pleased that the number of credit hours has increased," said Evelyn Jorgenson, president of the college, in a news release the college issued Tuesday. "We believe the steady enrollment and the increase in (credit hour) numbers reflect the success of our college community in recruiting, connecting and retaining our students as they pursue their educational goals."
Jorgenson also noted enrollment is up in a few key areas. The construction technology program, entering its second academic year, has 51 students, up from 33 last year. The college's culinary program at Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food, has 168 students, 22 more than last fall. The 127 student enrolled in emergency medical services courses is up 14 students from last fall, according to the news release.
The college's latest overall enrollment figure represents an 8 percent drop from fall 2011, when it hit an all-time high of 8,648. College officials say what they're experiencing reflects a national trend. The National Student Clearinghouse reported 138,000 fewer students were enrolled in two-year public colleges this past spring compared to the spring 2016 semester, a 2.5 percent decrease, according to the news release.
NW News on 09/06/2017