After a sharp decline in enrollment earlier in the pandemic, Heartland Community College officials say early signs point to a rebound in new students attending for the fall term.
Heartland's fall enrollment was down about 10% in 2020. After a few weeks of registration, the head count for fall 2021 is up slightly (about 1%) from fall of last year, said Sarah Diel-Hunt, HCC's vice president of enrollment and student support services.
Most promising, she said, is a 50% increase in enrollment of new students, students over the age of 25, and students who are returning after taking a break from classes.
"It will take us a year or two to dig out of a smaller sophomore class, but we're very heartened by what we're seeing with new students and returning students" said Diel-Hunt.
Diel-Hunt said she's optimistic about the numbers.
“It has never been a better time to be a community college student," she said. "We have more funds available now than we have before because of the COVID state and federal funding. We can really set students up for success right now.”
Another encouraging sign is the complete recovery of students from traditionally underrepresented categories.
"Our new minority student enrollment is up 81% over where it was last fall, and it's up slightly over 2019 numbers," said Diel-Hunt.
There are still challenges. Heartland actually saw more students in summer 2020 than in 2019 due to the pandemic. A big driver was visiting students — those who come from other universities to take credits.
This summer, there are fewer visiting students, Diel-Hunt said. Head count is down about 8%.
“This summer, many of them are not home. Many of them might be recovering credits from the last year. Maybe they didn’t take as many hours in the fall or spring at their home institutions, so they're recovering majors credits that they can only take there, or they need the credits at a minimum number to maintain their scholarship and tuition awards they have at those institutions," said Diel-Hunt.
Students at the college in Normal have now made it through nearly 2 1/2 semesters almost completely online.
“We know that some are just tired. They're taking a break from virtual learning this summer. Maybe they're gonna travel or do something else,” said Diel-Hunt.
