Enrollment mostly appears to be stabilizing at community colleges across Northeast Ohio after more than a decade of dropping with Cuyahoga Community College and Stark State College reporting increases in students this fall compared to 2023.
Meanwhile, Lorain County Community College’s enrollment was basically stable, down just 24 students, but Lakeland Community College reported a larger drop, about 8% of its total enrollment, according to fall enrollment numbers provided by the colleges.
In general, all four colleges’ enrollment is down significantly from all-time highs as of about a decade and a half ago, in light of headwinds facing all higher education institutions across the country. The enrollment at Tri-C in early fall 2010 was 31,683 compared to 18,009 this fall.
Angela Johnson, vice president of enrollment management at Tri-C, said while community colleges are dealing with the same challenges traditional colleges are facing – a declining birth rate and a public wary of student loan debt - they also have unique strengths to play on.
“You know, families are having fewer children, so that means fewer numbers in high school and that certainly means fewer in college, whether it's a community college or university,” she said. “But we also recognize that there's a significant market of individuals who have some college, no degree, for whatever reason, who started college (and) weren't able to finish.”
She says community colleges – with two-year degrees programs - have long been appealing to that population as well as working adults. About 60% of Tri-C’s students are employed part- or full-time, and the average age is 26.
She said Tri-C is trying to lean into that by providing more flexible arrangements, including a new certificate program for work like welding, cooking and social media marketing that people can complete in eight-week increments.
“We have 16, 14, 12, eight week (programs),” Johnson said. “As well as flexibility in modality. So, whether it's online or a combination of online and on (the) ground which we call hybrid.”
In general, Tri-C’s enrollment has trended upward this fall and last fall, after bottoming out in 2022. Stark State hit its lowest enrollment in a decade and a half last year, but appears to be on the upswing now, up about 500 students compared to last fall.
Stark State and Tri-C also saw an increase in transfer students this year, a trend which Johnson said Tri-C is still studying but could include students attending traditional four-year colleges and transferring to a two-year institution to finish their degree quickly. Both Johnson and Stark State in a press release said they’re leaning on partnerships with employers throughout the region to bring in students seeking certificates and associate degrees.
“Currently, organizations across northeast Ohio are sending over 1,000 employees to Stark State to pursue training, certificates or associate degrees,” Stark State wrote in the Sept. 20 news release. “We believe these trends reflect our commitment to providing accessible, affordable education while supporting the community’s workforce needs.”
Lakeland Community College’s enrollment is down about 300 students this fall compared to last fall, with 4,431 students total. Lakeland has sought to stabilize itself over the last year with two rounds of cuts, 17 staff in July 2024 and 25 positions in November 2023. It was also dinged in a state audit earlier this year for not reducing its staffing and facility footprint despite years of declines; its enrollment is less than half what it was in 2010.
While Lorain County Community College is down just .3% compared to fall 2023, a spokesperson reported its full-time equivalent enrollment is up slightly; that’s a statistic that compares student enrollment with how many credit hours they’re taking.
Typically, community colleges see higher enrollment at the end of the semester, according to Ohio Department of Education data, due to transfers and students starting half-way through the semester.