Kirkwood students attend a Welcome Week event on main campus in Cedar Rapids
College sees increases in out-of-state and concurrent enrollment students
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (September 12, 2016)- Kirkwood Community College continued to realize healthy enrollment overall and growth in specific target areas for the fall of 2016. Overall enrollment in college credit programs for the new academic year is 14,732, up from the fall 2015 total of 14,727.
The college noted significant increases in out-of-state as well as concurrent enrollment students. The number of out-of-state students attending Kirkwood this fall grew 10 percent to 913, nearly one hundred more than 2015. Concurrent enrollment numbers increased six percent from 3,647 last fall to 3,886 in 2016.
For the second year in a row, Kirkwood is bucking the national trend of college enrollment declines. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the average two-year public college enrollment declined 2.4 percent in 2015 while the average four-year public institution declined 13.7 percent.
According to Kirkwood Vice President of Student Services Jon Buse, the overall numbers match college projections.
“We anticipated this level of growth,” said Buse. “Kirkwood continues to reverse the national trend by our focusing on partnerships with employers and students to offer programs that better prepare graduates for success. Our students are studying in areas that will address workforce and community needs, which is core to our mission.”
The college saw substantial increases in students studying for careers in the healthcare, engineering, criminal justice and business fields among other areas. College administrators have noticed classes in these programs filling up faster due to a high workforce demand.
“Kirkwood continues to look for ways to address the workforce needs of the Corridor,” said Buse. “The growth we are experiencing in these areas of study are a direct result of the college’s efforts to serve our seven-county area. When you consider that more than 85 percent of our graduates stay in the region after Kirkwood, the impact is significant.”