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(Des Moines, IA) -- Community college enrollment in Iowa is up for the first time in a dozen years. The Iowa Department of Education says the increase this fall amounts to about 502 students more than last year or .06 percent of the total enrollment of 82,251. The all-time peak enrollment was in 2010 when 106,597 students attended Iowa's 15 community colleges.
“Increasing community college enrollment bucks the national trend and recent historical trends,” said Jeremy Varner, administrator for the Iowa Department of Education’s Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation. “Even with a strong labor market, we are seeing increasing enrollment, particularly in career-technical fields which lead to high-demand careers.”
Enrollment in career and technical education programs increased 3.2 percent over last fall. The trend is driven in part by increased access to career academies and state financial aid programs, such as the Future Ready Iowa Last Dollar Scholarship. Career academies are career-oriented programs that link secondary career and technical education to postsecondary education programs.
Varney says there has been a 4.2 percent increase in high school students taking college courses. He says enrollment of traditional-age students (under the age of 25) increased 1.3 percent and part-time enrollment increased 1.8 percent.
He says enrollment at Iowa community colleges peaked in 2010 due to recessionary factors.