Fall enrollment across the Austin Community College District is up nearly 23% from last fall, according to ACC officials in a June 21 news release.
Officials said the community college district, which has 11 campuses around the Austin metro, has seen a surge in fall enrollment growth just one month after registration opened May 13.
By the numbers
Every campus has seen an increase in enrollment, said Sydney Pruitt, ACC’s senior media relations coordinator. According to the ACC, the Highland Campus has the highest total number of students enrolled, up 28.4% from last year, followed by Round Rock Campus, which has increased 29.9%.
Other notable enrollment increases include:
- Riverside Campus, up 58.4%
- Hays Campus, up 33.9%
- Cypress Creek Campus, up 30.7%
Along with the district’s overall 23% enrollment increase from last fall, officials stated in the release that new student registrations have increased 78% from 2022 as of April 1—which is when the Free Tuition pilot program for the high school class of 2024 was announced.
Pruitt added Distance Education continues to be the most popular choice with students, with nearly 11,000 registered as of June 21—up 19% from last year.
Diving in deeper
The free tuition pilot program isn’t the only expansion ACC has made in recent months. The community college district is also partnering with The University of Texas and the Texas Institute for Electronics to create a semiconductor training center in Austin.
This comes on the heels of its Semiconductor Technician Advanced Rapid Start program, which launched last fall. The four-week, full-time program provides theoretical and hands-on training for students to transition into manufacturing technician roles.
Pruitt said since the launch of STARS, it has served 54 incumbent workers who were already working with five business partners but needed additional training to advance their careers.
“The 7.2% increase [in the design, manufacturing, construction and applied technologies areas of study] is in the credit programs, while STARS is on the Continuing Education side of ACC,” Pruitt said. “On the credit side, enrollment increases can be attributed to the high job demand in our region coupled with higher visibility of ACC’s training program options and the direct industry partnerships in the field that can connect students with employers.”
One more thing
Officials encouraged students to register as soon as possible to secure the classes and campuses that fit their needs best. Registration dates and tuition deadlines for new, current and former students can be found here.
Registration Rallies will be held July 20 and Aug. 17 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Hays, Highland and Round Rock campuses for registration assistance, academic advising, financial aid support and course selection guidance.
