Enrollment, training up in Maine

While declining enrollment continues to plague many community colleges across the country, preliminary figures at Maine’s community colleges show a 6.3 percent increase in fall-to-fall enrollment. That amounts to about 950 more students, for a total of 16,313 fall headcount.

Each of the seven community colleges in the Maine Community College System (MCCS) have seen increases. Eastern Maine Community College saw the largest increase at 10.4 percent (202 students), for a total of 2,141 students. Southern Maine Community College — the system’s biggest college — followed with an 8.2 percent increase (460 students), to 6,078 students.

Final figures will be released later this fall. Historically, the system sees an additional 700 to 1,000 students enroll between now and October 15, partly because hospitality programs start later to accommodate students and industry partners, according to MCCS. More»