As economy improves, fewer seek community college degrees

• Enrollment at community colleges has dropped 18.5 percent in the past five years — more than 38,000 students — and 5.4 percent between fall 2013 and fall 2014 alone.
• Community colleges typically enroll more students when the economy is down, because people are interested in training that will help their job prospects.

NEWARK – As the demand for skilled labor increases, one might think the demand for educating skilled laborers would follow suit.

However, that’s not the case at Ohio’s community colleges. Enrollment dropped 18.5 percent in the past five years — more than 38,000 students — and 5.4 percent between fall 2013 and fall 2014, according to the Ohio Board of Regents preliminary enrollment estimates.

Enrollment at Central Ohio Technical College has declined 21.8 percent since 2010 — about 980 students — and dropped 2.6 percent between fall 2013 and fall 2014.

Enrollment at Ohio State University’s Newark campus has gone down 6.5 percent since 2010 — about 160 students — but increased 3.5 percent between fall 2013 and fall 2014. Regional campus enrollment statewide dropped 4 percent between fall 2013 and fall 2014.

Various factors influence enrollment, but at regional campuses, it depends at least in part on what’s happening at the main campus, said Mark Fegley, OSU Newark’s interim director of admissions. This past year, for example, OSU’s main campus got a record number of applicants: about 40,000 applicants for a roughly 7,000 member class, Fegley said. For those not accepted to Columbus, some turned to OSU Newark instead.

OSU Newark is only about 45 minutes from the main campus, and it has student housing as well, which makes it a particularly attractive choice for students unable to start at the main campus right away, Fegley said.

The economy also affects community and regional campuses, but in the inverse way of what one might think, Fegley said. During good times, families might be more willing to send students farther away. When money is tight, though, a regional campus — where students could live at home and commute — starts to sound better.

“If students decide they want to stay local, they want to save money, that’s a good thing for us,” Fegley said.

In Ohio, enrollment officials are particularly concerned by dwindling numbers of high school students. Although the rate of high school students graduating in Ohio has improved, the number of students graduating has declined slightly in recent years. In spring 2013, 122,491 students graduated from high school — about 1,400 fewer graduates than the class of 2010, according Ohio Department of Education figures.

Fewer high school graduates means a smaller starting pool of potential college students, Fegley said. Schools are starting to recruit out-of-state, but the more schools doing that, the tougher the competition.

“Universities want good students, and we’re competing for good students,” Fegley said “I think any type of gains in that type of market would be a positive thing.”

Enrollment at community colleges tends to follow economic ups and downs more than enrollment at larger universities, said Mary McCue, spokeswoman for Terra State Community College. That college’s enrollment declined 26 percent in the past five years — a loss of about 900 students — and 11 percent between fall 2013 and fall 2014 alone.

“It’s counter to what you would think given the demand for skilled trades,” McCue said.

Community colleges also gain students when the economy is down because people are interested in training that will help their job prospects. Colleges have expected a decline as the economy improves, said Jeff Robinson, spokesman for the Ohio Board of Regents.

“They plan for it in budgets and work around those drops in enrollment,” Robinson said. “(For some,) the dip was a little more than they planned for.”

jbalmert@gannett.com

740-328-8548

Twitter: @jbalmert

Changes in enrollment

Source: Ohio Board of Regents preliminary fall headcount