Enrollment at Illinois community colleges has surged to over 285,000 for the spring semester this year, marking an 8.9% increase from the previous year. This represents the largest spring-to-spring enrollment increase since the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) began collecting systemwide data in the late 1990s.
In a report released on Tuesday, the ICCB noted that 40 out of the state’s 45 community colleges reported growth in enrollment this spring.
Notably, several enrollment categories experienced significant increases, including a nearly 20% rise in students enrolled in dual credit programs, which allow high school students to earn college credits. Even more impressive was the 23.4% increase in students pursuing general associate degree programs.
Illinois community colleges also reported year-over-year enrollment growth in the fall semester. The ICCB indicated that total headcount enrollment had reached 265,227 in October, up 7.4% from the previous fall. This growth rate outpaced that of the state’s public universities, which saw only a 2% increase in undergraduate enrollment during the same period, according to the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
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