Fall 2012 enrollment at BCCC sets record | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Enrollment for Fall 2012 semester at Beaufort County Community College is up over previous years and has set a record enrollment in a fall semester, college officials announced this week.

    The growth is the result of a several factors including the fifth year of enrollment in the Beaufort County Early College High School, cost-savings as compared to four-year colleges and universities, and students taking advantage of Internet-based courses, according to various college officials.

    Enrollment for Fall 2012 Semester is 1,947, 20 more students than in Fall 2011.

    Enrollment for Fall 2012 Semester is also greater than Spring 2012 Semester, when enrollment was listed at 1,872, according to figures supplied by the college BCCC's nursing, business administration, criminal justice technology, early childhood education and medical office administration programs continue to be popular with students, according to enrollment figures released this week. As in previous semesters, women outnumber men on the BCCC campus with women comprising 68 percent of students enrolled at the college. And the college continues to draw most of its students from Beaufort County with 67 percent of students listing Beaufort County as their home address.

    "This fall, the enrollment growth at Beaufort County Community College would not have been possible without the addition of the fifth class at the Beaufort County Early College High School," said Dr. Barbara Tansey, BCCC president. "With college funding directly tied to enrollment, this increase in numbers is just one of the positive things the school has brought to our campus."

    The high school began its fifth year in early August, bringing total enrollment for the school to 219 students. Students at the school can earn a high school diploma and an associate's degree from BCCC in five years. After the first two years at the school, most students are enrolled in at least some college classes, a fact that contributes to the growth in enrollment numbers for BCCC.

    The recent opening of the new Allied Health and Nursing Building on the eastern end of the BCCC campus has opened up classroom space for Arts and Sciences classes - leading to strong enrollment among students seeking associate in arts and associate in general education degrees. These degrees are popular among students who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university, Tansey said.

    Agreements among the state's community colleges and public and some private colleges and universities have made it easier for students to transfer credits obtained at BCCC to four-year institutions, Tansey said.

    The recent downturn in the economy has led many adults to return to school to upgrade their job skills. Many of these adults have chosen BCCC to help them with this effort, she said.

    College officials also cited BCCC's commitment to distance learning and flexible scheduling that makes attending BCCC feasible for many working adults. BCCC is offering over 60 online courses this semester over the Internet for 697 students and 90 so-called "hybrid" courses that combine online instruction over the Internet with traditional classroom instruction for 1,036 students, according to college enrollment figures.

    "Distance learning removes barriers to education for many of our students," said Penny Sermons, director of Distance Learning at BCCC. "Having round-the-clock access to course-work online helps them cope with problems such as work schedules, transportation, and child care issues."

    College officials also cited close cooperation with and enrollment by students in the county's public schools as contributing to enrollment growth.

    "Our work with our high school partners through the Career and College Promise is providing college enrollment opportunities to more local high school students," said Wesley Beddard, BCCC dean of instruction.

    Fall semester enrollment figures at Beaufort County Community College

2007-2012

Fall 2012 - 1,947
Fall 2011 - 1,927
Fall 2010 - 1,900
Fall 2009 - 1,919
Fall 2008 - 1,739
Fall 2007 - 1,519