More full-time students are enrolled at the Community College of Allegheny County this semester compared to fall 2022, according to a report from the school that has struggled with a 12-year decline in its student population.
Just over 10,000 full-time students are taking classes at CCAC this semester, said college spokeswoman Dena Rose Buzila. That’s a 10% increase from fall 2022 numbers. CCAC did not share how many full-time students were enrolled in fall 2022.
New student enrollment jumped by 18% between fall 2022 and 2023. As of Monday, there were 2,888 new students enrolled, Ms. Rose Buzila said. Meanwhile, returning student enrollment rose by 4%.
And over 50% of courses this semester are being taught in person. That’s the highest number of in-person classes since the pandemic began.
The self-reported enrollment boost could signal that CCAC is beginning to bounce back after it saw significant enrollment declines during the pandemic.
Between 2019 and 2022, the community college reported a 28% decrease in the number of students earning credits, which included full-time and part-time students. CCAC had over 25,900 for-credit students in 2019 and 18,800 in 2022.
Pandemic-induced declines weren’t unique to CCAC — every community college in Western Pennsylvania saw their student populations drop — but CCAC did report the steepest decline in students.
And enrollment declines aren’t isolated to the pandemic years. Between 2010 and 2022, CCAC went from 32,936 for-credit students to just 18,800, a 43% drop. Other area community colleges saw similar enrollment declines during the same period.
It’s a familiar tune for community colleges across the country. Between fall 2010 and fall 2022, national community college enrollment dropped 37%, from 7 million students to 4.5 million, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Meanwhile, enrollment at four-year institutions fell only 4% during the same period.
Experts have attributed the community colleges’ struggles to population declines in traditional-age college students, heightened competition from four-year and online institutions, increased pay at jobs that don’t require a college degree, and questions surrounding the worth of a degree. The pandemic factored into enrollment woes, too.
Schools like CCAC have combated these challenges by streamlining curriculums and offering faster pathways to employment. For example, CCAC is building a new Center for Education, Innovation and Training that will serve as a hub for the college’s manufacturing, culinary arts and cybersecurity offerings.
CCAC President Quintin Bullock told the Post-Gazette in May that the center will help prepare students for the workforce as they earn certificates or associate degrees.
“A community college credential is worth it,” Mr. Bullock said. “It's changing from a degree to a credential, and the credential includes courses or training that closely align with what businesses and industries are seeking in an employee.”
CCAC currently offers more than 130 degree, certificate and diploma programs on four campuses and three centers throughout the region.
Full-time, in-county students pay $1,890 per semester during the 2023-24 academic year. Residents of other Pennsylvania counties pay double the in-county costs, while out-of-state students pay triple.
First Published: September 12, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: September 12, 2023, 6:40 p.m.
