From the Texas Tribune: Texas community colleges see biggest enrollment recovery since the pandemic

Things may be looking good for community colleges. Higher enrollment means higher tuition and more money from the state.

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Texas community colleges saw a big post-pandemic recovery this year, preliminary fall enrollment data shows.

A total of 676,141 students were enrolled in community colleges this fall, representing a 4.25% increase in enrollment since 2021 and bringing those numbers closer to where they were before the pandemic. About 747,000 students were enrolled in public two-year colleges in 2019.

The uptick comes after community colleges saw enrollment fall by about 80,000 students between 2019 and 2021, causing community college enrollment to fall below the state’s four-year universities for the first time since the 1990s. The drop came as a surprise to many community colleges expecting student enrollment to increase during the pandemic, as it typically does during economic recessions when students look for more affordable schooling options.

For more:

- All Eyes on Texas: Community Colleges Focus on Preparing the Workforce of Tomorrow.