More people are choosing to spend part of their summer in a university classroom in Iowa. Two of the state’s largest community colleges are reporting double-digit percentage increases in summer enrollment.
Laurie Wolf is the Executive Dean of Student Services in Des Moines Area Community College. She says the number of credit hours at DMACC have risen by 19.5% while the enrollment of 15% over last summer.
More than 10,700 students enrolled in summer school when DMACC started May 25. Wolf believes it is a sign of the times. “While we are seeing the economy bump for the backup job, we’re also seeing people who say:” Well, I can only get a part-time work instead of a full-time job this summer, so if it’s just part-time, maybe I can make a couple of classes, ‘”said Wolf.
Steve Carpenter, a spokesman for Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. He says the enrollment numbers have been rising for a few years now. Over the past year, the number of Kirkwood students over 25 has risen by 33%. “This has to be a harbinger of things to spend on employment, things that happen in the economy,” Carpenter told, “We have met many of those students who say” yes, I am facing a lot of life and work and decisions that have come to explore new careers. “That’s definitely a trend in Kirkwood.”
This summer, more than 8,000 students are enrolled in Kirkwood. That marks a 13% increase over last year. ” A lot of the students are what we call” reverse transfers “- students at Iowa, Iowa State, Drake, Luther, Loras … who will be back in Cedar Rapids in Iowa or east of the area for the summer and is taking a class or two to stay on track to graduate in four years, “said Carpenter.
Last fall, the combined enrollment in 15 schools in the community of Iowa reached the figure of 100,000 for the first time in history.