The pandemic and the tight labor market are cited as two of the main causes for a drop in community college enrollment in Iowa.
“Our enrollment at our 15 community colleges this fall is down about one-point-six percent from the prior year — bringing us to about 82-thousand students. While that enrollment is down — national fall enrollment at community colleges is down about five-point-six percent.”
The Iowa Department of Education’s Community College administrator Jeremy Varner says it wasn’t an across the board drop, with nine of the 15 community colleges showing gains this fall. Indian Hills Community College is showing a 3.2 percent increase. DMACC’s enrollment fell eleven percent.