Sheldon, Iowa — The number of students taking courses at Iowa’s community colleges this fall is down. According to the Department of Education’s Community College administrator Jerry Varner, enrollment at Iowa’s 15 community colleges this fall has slipped about 0.6%, to just over 93,000 students statewide.
An exception to the trend of enrollment decline is Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon. NCC President Dr. Alethea Stubbe says NCC is bucking the trend, with an enrollment increase this fall.
She talks about how the percentage translates to actual numbers of students.
Dr. Stubbe listed a few of the reasons why she believes NCC has been able to increase student numbers while other community colleges in Iowa have seen declining enrollments.
Stubbe says the increasing minority demographic in northwest Iowa has also translated into an increase in minority student enrollment at NCC, further helping the school continue to grow.
According to the Department of Education, the biggest drop in community college enrollment was at Iowa Valley Community College, which saw a decline of 6.6 percent. The largest increase was Indian Hills Community College, which saw enrollment increase by 8.2 percent over last year.
