Dive Summary:
- California two-year colleges are seeing higher enrollments and more class sections after years of state-budget cuts caused declines in both areas, according to a survey.
- The uptick comes amid better funding: Proposition 30, approved last November, gave the country's largest community college system an extra $210 million in 2012-13 and an extra $600 million in 2013-14.
- The projected median enrollment increase this fall is 2.5% across the system, with a 5% increase in course sections offered; last year enrollment dropped 4.8% and course offerings shrank 3.3%.
Dive Insight:
The numbers are a bright spot for two-year schools in California, but recently released U.S. Census numbers show that overall higher-education enrollment across the country is dropping [PDF link]. After six years of steady growth, the number of students dropped by half a million in 2012.