18-03-2025
Illinois Community Colleges see increase in enrollment
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WMBD) — Gov. JB Pritzker announced that Community Collages across the state of Illinois have seen an increase in enrollment since this time last year.
Enrollment in Illinois Community Colleges this spring increased 8.9% compared to last spring, a news release from Pritzker's Office stated. This is one of the largest spring-to-spring increases the Illinois Community College Board has seen since it started keeping records in the 1990s.
'With the largest Spring-to-Spring enrollment increase and the third straight year of growth, our community colleges have not only bounced back from the pandemic – they are now stronger than ever thanks to our historic investments in education,' Pritzker said. 'We are the home to the third-largest community college system in the nation, and we want to continue seeing growth and opportunity for working families by making higher education more affordable and accessible for students across the state.'
Illinois Central College sees fourth consecutive semester of increased admissions
Pritzker said that expanding access to affordable education strengthens the state's workforce and creates more economic opportunities for residents.
The number of students has also passed 283,000, which brings the number of students enrolled above pre-pandemic levels, according to the Spring 2025 Enrollment Report.
The report also states that 40 of 45 community colleges across the state saw an increase in students since last year. Duel credit programs, which allow high school students to earn college credit, increased 19.8% from last year.
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