Enrollment is up this fall at Community College of Allegheny County, and includes more Pittsburgh Public Schools graduates, many of whom have financial aid under the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program.

At a board of trustees meeting yesterday, CCAC President Alex Johnson said that overall enrollment is up 3 percent, to 19,322, an increase of 571 students. The college had expected an increase of 2 percent.

The biggest increase was 9.7 percent at the North campus.

When the numbers are converted to full-time equivalent students, the totals still are up for the college overall, with a 3.4 percent increase, bringing that count to 13,910, an increase of 457. North campus again recorded the biggest increase, 10 percent.

All campuses showed increases under both counts. The smallest was South, with 2 percent for students overall, and 0.05 percent, about one student, under full-time equivalent.

Dr. Johnson said there are a lot of reasons for the higher enrollment, including recruitment, affordability and an increase in the number of Pittsburgh Public Schools graduates.

"People understand they need to get an education" to enhance their job prospects, he said.

From Pittsburgh Public Schools, CCAC received 258 graduates, compared with 199 the previous year when the Pittsburgh Promise wasn't available.

Funded primarily by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Pittsburgh Promise provides eligible graduates of a city high school or charter schools with awards of up to $20,000 over four years for college tuition.

Of the city school graduates enrolled at CCAC, 144 are participating in the Pittsburgh Promise.

The Promise is providing $178,000 to CCAC to pay for a case manager and two counselors to help the students succeed.

Other programs highlighted at the meeting included the RN Achievement Program aimed at attracting a diverse group to the college's nursing program. The college won a competitive $984,275 grant for the program from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Also at the meeting, board Vice Chairman William Robinson said the college's education foundation raised $1.45 million last fiscal year and has a goal of raising $2 million this year.