ILLINOIS, USA — Editor's Note: The video attached originally aired on Oct. 30 during an event where Eric Sorensen (D-Moline) visited Black Hawk College.
Public community colleges in Illinois are continuing to see high enrollment for the second consecutive year, according to a recent annual fall report from the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB).
Out of all 48 public community colleges in the state of Illinois, 36 schools noted increases in headcount from the fall 2022 term to the subsequent fall semester. According to the ICCB, full-time equivalent enrollment has risen 5.2% since 2022's fall report, making it the second-largest fall-to-fall enrollment growth in three decades.
“Since the global pandemic, community colleges have effectively adapted to a changed environment, by offering more targeted programming, better instructional delivery options, and broader, more comprehensive student supports," Brian Durham, the ICCB executive director, said in a press release. "The increase in enrollment is a testament to the success of these efforts."
Illinois lawmakers have funneled more money towards higher education in its entirety, allotting $2.53 billion for the 2024 fiscal year budget with $19.4 million going towards community colleges in the state.
"This year's budget steps up our direct support for higher education institutions by $100 million—the largest dollar and percent increase in more than twenty years," Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said in a press release. "And by raising the number and amount of college scholarships to a record-breaking, all-time high of more than $750 million, we're making it possible for nearly every student from a working-class family to attend community college."
So where does this leave community colleges around the Illinois Quad Cities area? Here's what the ICCB has released on enrollment at these area community colleges:
- Black Hawk College in Moline saw a 2.1% increase in student headcount and a 1.6% increase for full-time students.
- Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg did not see a change in headcount from fall 2022 to fall 2023 but it did see a 1.4% increase in full-time enrollment.
- Illinois Central College in East Peoria saw a 7.6% increase in headcount between fall 2022 and fall 2023 and an 8.6% increase in full-time enrollment.
Another contributing factor to some colleges boosting enrollment is the expansion of online learning opportunities. Across Illinois community colleges roughly 100,000 students are enrolled in at least one online course compared to about 60,000 students in online courses in 2019.
“Seeing more and more students return to the classroom each year is an amazing sight after the challenges of the pandemic, but equally amazing are the online opportunities we have created for those students who need to be elsewhere but still want to better their future through a community college education,” James Reed Jr., executive director of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, said in a press release.
The full report, along with other enrollment information from the Illinois Community College Board, is accessible online here.
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