When the pandemic hit, community colleges expected an enrollment surge. Recessions — a time when the newly unemployed are looking to learn new skills — can be good for two-year schools.
The trend is affecting D.C.-area schools: The University of the District of Columbia Community College, Montgomery College and Prince George’s Community College collectively lost more than 2,000 students between last fall and this semester.
Enrollment slumps present financial issues for colleges and have prompted concerns about the students who, for one reason or another, can’t afford to continue their education.
But there are also bright spots, college officials said, such as the growing popularity of short-term classes that condense the coursework of a full semester into a few weeks.
At Prince George’s Community College, enrollment in its four-week-long winter term has more than doubled compared with last year. Meanwhile, in the fall, the school enrolled 11,376 students, about 4 percent fewer than last year.
“The accelerated courses, we’re finding, are becoming more and more popular for students,” said Clayton Railey, executive vice president and provost of teaching, learning and student success at the college.
Officials at Montgomery College have noticed increased interest in fields such as health sciences, where nursing students recently practiced surgeries in a mock operating room. But the school’s overall head count is still down nearly 6 percent, from more than 21,200 students last fall to just over 20,000 this year.
Montgomery College leaders are encouraged by the popularity of shorter terms. Enrollment in courses that spanned seven weeks instead of the usual 15 has grown almost 5 percent, from 1,441 students in fall 2019 to 1,508 this year.
“Students, I think, are not convinced that they have the money or the stability to sign up for a full 15 weeks of classes,” said John Hamman, the school’s interim chief analytics and effectiveness officer. “A lot of our students had lost jobs or had reductions in their pay. A lot of them were facing some sort of food or housing insecurity.”
Hamman said some students believe they’ll have their jobs back before a traditional semester would end. “Say you were a line cook or server and got laid off,” he said. “You’re probably hoping that restaurant will reopen.”
The challenges students nationwide are experiencing because of the pandemic are acutely felt by those enrolled in community colleges, said David Baime, senior vice president for government relations and policy analysis for the American Association of Community Colleges. Most students receive some sort of financial aid, and nearly one-third are the first in their families to attend college, according to data from the national advocacy group. More than half of students enrolled are people of color.
“We have heard about issues raised by lack of broadband access and need for mental health services,” Baime said. “We have absorbed the largest enrollment reductions in any sector of higher education.”
There are exceptions, Baime added, nationwide and locally.
Northern Virginia Community College will assess enrollment data when the semester ends, but early analysis shows a 2 percent uptick from last year’s enrollment of 51,822. Officials are attributing the growth to expanded student services, including remote advising, the installation of WiFi hotspots in campus parking lots and a laptop loaner program, said Frances Villagran-Glover, vice president of student services.
Meanwhile, the University of the District of Columbia is contending with major losses. Its community college lost more than 15 percent of its student body, dropping from 1,890 students in fall 2019 to 1,594 this year, data show.
The decline is concerning, said Lawrence T. Potter, UDC’s chief academic officer and acting chief community college officer.
“Community colleges are some kids’ first real opportunity, for individuals who are economically challenged, but it’s the first real opportunity for them to pursue higher education,” Potter said. Now those students are dealing with job losses and sacrificing school to take care of loved ones.
The pandemic “has left a number of students in a precarious situation,” Potter said.
UDC has been working to remain competitive, collaborating with the District’s public schools to recruit students who do not graduate from high school and enroll them in job training programs. The college also is revamping certificates in high-demand fields such as health care and information technology, Potter said.
The enrollment numbers came as a surprise, he said. Some officials had hoped that, in the face of the pandemic, D.C. students who normally would move out of state for college might stay closer to home, save some money and spend a semester or two at UDC.
“That did not even materialize,” Potter said. “I don’t think anyone in higher education anticipated that this was going to be the outcome.”
Enrollment at every level of the school has suffered this year. Overall, UDC’s flagship university, law school and community college lost a combined 503 students. But the community college, accounting for 42 percent of overall enrollment, was hit hardest.
Thousands in federal relief funding from the Cares Act has helped the school keep tuition flat and retain jobs, but without further assistance, the college — and hundreds of others — will begin to feel pressure.
“The colleges are very much hoping, and even expecting, to receive significant support from the federal government in light of the reduced enrollments, reduced state support in many places — with more to come — and with additional expenses that have been incurred as a result of the pandemic,” said Baime, of the community colleges association. “Help from Congress is extremely important.”
In some cases, the influx of students flocking to short-term classes is providing some financial stability. A surge in enrollment over the 12-week summer term helped Montgomery College get closer to its budget goals, Hamman said. The college plans to offer more short-term courses during the spring semester.
Despite enrollment challenges, officials are focused on retaining the students they still have enrolled. Montgomery College, like other institutions, has equipped students with laptops, doled out rent money and padded emergency funds for crises.
“We took money from graduation and found ways to directly get it into students’ hands,” Hamman said, adding that in-person graduation ceremonies this year were canceled. “I think that has an impact on the students who came back.”
