Hunter
12/29/23
Enrollment in Iowa’s community colleges is rising.
The state Department of Education’s 2023 Fall Enrollment Report shows overall enrollment up by 3.8% from last year, the second year of increased enrollment in the state.
Joint enrollment of students taking high school and college credit classes increased by nearly 8 percent in the same period.
However, Iowa lags behind the national average. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports National enrollment in two-year institutions increased by 4.4%, helped by a 9% increase in part-time students. In Iowa, part-time student enrollment increased by a miniscule 0.8%.
Full-time enrollment also dropped in both Iowa and across the country, with the state reporting a 0.8% decrease and the U.S. seeing a 0.2% drop.
Locally, Kirkwood Community College saw an overall enrollment increase of 2 percent. They also have the top average course load for part-time students in the state, who are taking an average of 6.1 credit hours per semester.
A link to the fall report:
https://educateiowa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/2023FallEnrollmentReport11-28-2023.pdf