Published on March 23 2023 1:33 pm
Last Updated on March 23 2023 1:48 pm
Written by Greg Sapp
The Illinois Community College System has recorded its largest year-over-year enrollment growth in nearly 15 years. Opening Spring 2023 enrollment increased by 7.2 percent from the previous spring according to the Illinois Community College Board’s (ICCB) Spring 2023 Enrollment Report.
“This upward enrollment trend is encouraging and continues to signal a shift towards pre-pandemic levels. This data furthers our confidence that efforts to expand learning opportunities and increase access to a community college education are working,” said ICCB Executive Director Brian Durham.
The 2023 Spring Enrollment Report shows the first Spring-to-Spring semester increase in the last five years. It’s also the second largest enrollment increase in nearly 15 years (7.8 percent increase between Spring 2009-2010), and the second consecutive semester of growth for the nation’s third-largest community college system.
SUMMARY OF OPENING SPRING ENROLLMENTS IN ILLINOIS PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES FROM 2019 TO 2023
HEADCOUNT--Spring 2019 283,146 Spring 2020 279,771 Spring 2021 239,819 Spring 2022 233,041 Spring 2023 249,936
PERCENT CHANGE-- -2.2% -1.2% -14.3% -2.8% 7.2%
FTE-- 154,740 152,349 131,192 124, 013 132,425
PERCENT CHANGE-- -3.5% -1.5% -13.9% -5.5% 6.8%
Significant findings from the Spring 2023 Illinois Community College Opening Enrollment Report include:
The full report is accessible online at http://www2.iccb.org/data/studies-reports/student-reports.