Enrollment & Admissions

With an economy – and numerous industries – that have apparently gone south, many are hopping on the continuing education bandwagon to obtain training in more lucrative professions. However, the increased demand for higher education has led to longer waiting lists for the required courses to complete degrees. This is particularly true at community colleges, where many adult students turn to shift career gears. Has this glut in higher education resulted in a black market for popular classes?

A recent advertisement on Craigslist may indicate that a black market for college classes is thriving, at least at Columbia Basin College in Washington. According to an article on Inside Higher Ed, the ad read as follows: "So I heard that some people are registering for classes that are in high demand to sell their spots in them, and Biology 160 is one of those classes. My roommate and I need into that class summer quarter, so if anyone is currently enrolled in any of the Bio 160 classes for SUMMER QUARTER and is willing to sell their spot on it or knows anyone who is, please, please, please let me know ASAP."

The sender of the email ad has been conspicuously anonymous throughout, refusing to respond to email messages from Inside Higher Ed. The posting was removed a few days later, and no one knows if a spot in the course was actually sold. Some doubt the legitimacy of the request and believe the posting was done

Despite a tough economic climate driving record numbers of adults to enroll in vocational and post-secondary education, California’s community colleges experienced a surprising drop in enrollment. The state’s community colleges recently announced that they enrolled approximately 1 percent fewer students during the 2009-10 school year than the previous academic year.

This comes after five consecutive years of surging enrollment (at an average growth rate of five percent per year) at California’s community colleges. Because California’s education system is, as the Sacramento Business Journal notes, the nation’s largest higher-education system, an enrollment decrease of 1 percent is significant. Enrollment for 2009-10 lagged behind enrollment for the previous year by nearly 21,000 students.

California Community Colleges’ chancellor Jack Scott announced the surprising decline in enrollment to reporters on February 24, prompting the inevitable question of why enrollment would be declining during a time with high rates of unemployment and swelling numbers of high school graduates.

This video looks at the causes of declining community college enrollments.

Lack of Resources, Not Lack of Demand

The short answer to the question of why enrollment at California community colleges dropped this year is a lack of resources. As the Silicon Valley Mercury News reports, California’s community college system has faced an 8 percent budget cut during the 2009-10 year. In his announcement to reporters, Scott said that budget cuts have forced

The secret of American community colleges has been revealed – to the entire world – and the population of international students enrolling in American community colleges is rapidly increasing.

The 2009 Open Doors report, issued by the Institute of International Education, provides a snapshot of current trends in international student enrollment in both community colleges and other institutions of post-secondary education. For anyone interested in the path that international student education is taking in America, the report is essential reading.

Texas and California Lead the Way in International Community College Students

The Open Doors report includes a list of the 40 community college with the highest populations of international students. Texas’s Houston Community College System tops the list; it boasts over 5,000 international students, which is about 9% of its total student population. Two other Texan community colleges also made it into the top ten: the Woodlands’s Lone Star College System, which enrolls over 2,000 international students, and Dallas’s Richland College, which enrolls over 1,200 international students. The percentage of the total student population that is of international origin for these two schools is 4.4% and 7.8%, respectively.

California also appears to lead the way in international student enrollment at community colleges. Like Texas, California is home to three of the top ten community colleges in terms of international student enrollment: Santa Monica College (in Southern California), De Anza College (in the Silicon Valley), and the City College of

The acceptance rate at community college has existed at the opposite end of the spectrum from the nation's elite private universities. At community colleges, any student who had a desire to pursue an educational goal and the money to pay the course fees was welcome.

However, as community colleges nationwide face historical surges in enrollment, some are being forced to take the unprecedented move of rejecting students. For example, CUNY community colleges in New York are contemplating stricter admission policies, as reported by the Columbia Spectator. At the Borough of Manhattan Community College, transfer students with a 2.0 GPA or lower will be automatically placed on a waiting list starting in Spring 2010. Other students who applied for classes for the fall semester received admissions for the spring.

The Causes of Rejection from Community Colleges

There are many guilty parties that have contributed to community colleges that no longer uphold "all welcome" admission policies. While the troubled economy plays a role, systematic shifts in employment have also contributed to students being turned away from community colleges.

This video examines the reasons why community colleges reject admissions applications.

The Recession

During economic downturns such as the current recession, community college enrollment tends to swell for a number of reasons. Older workers who have been laid off or who are having trouble finding work may decide to return to the

With the weak economy, nationwide job cuts, and a more competitive workforce, community colleges have experienced a tremendous enrollment boom. As Inside Higher Ed reveals, community college enrollment rates have been increasing at a steady pace for the past two school years. In fact, experts predict that the 2009 fall semester will result in record breaking enrollment counts.

To accommodate the enrollment boom, community colleges have been forced to balance their available resources with the immense demands of new students. In fact, due to the rising student enrollment rates, “Some community colleges are exploring innovative ways to serve their growing student bodies, make better use of facilities and attract new professors.”

The Community College Boom: The Impact on Campus

Campuses in nearly all states are experiencing various degrees of enrollment hikes. Some theorize that the growth in enrollment is due to the recession’s effect on job cuts and lay-offs; many unemployed workers are finding themselves unskilled to compete in today’s aggressive job market.

Adding to this, many schools have noticed a “Marked increase in the number of students looking to transfer to a four-year institution.” As community colleges allow students to earn college credit much more affordably, many financially savvy students are attending a local community college prior to a more expensive four-year university or private institution. For example, one New York school located in Syracuse, Onondaga Community College (OCC), has experienced a tremendous surge in the enrollment