International Students Could Mitigate Nationwide Drop in Community College Enrollment

    FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, April 03, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Enrollment at community colleges across the United States is dropping and schools are struggling to keep two-year degree programs alive. Between 2010 and 2016, overall enrollment has dropped 6%.

There are three main reasons for this. The first is that the national high school graduation rate has decreased and continues to drop. The rate of high school students graduating is projected to drop even more over the next ten years with an 11% estimated decrease. The second reason is low unemployment rate. The choice to invest in post-secondary education when the cost of tuition is on the rise and jobs are readily available pipelines young adults into jobs rather than into college. The third reason is the rising cost of tuition in both four-year traditional universities and, to a lesser but also significant extent, two-year community colleges.

Most four-year and two-year colleges are geared towards recent high school graduates. The answer to keeping enrollment rates up has been to market to a broader student base that includes older adults and international students, and to ensure that that once enrolled they are supported by the institution.

Many community colleges have already embraced international enrollment by reaching out to international high school graduates and streamlining the enrollment process to make it easy for international students to apply. It works.

Applying to community college can be intimidating for international students because of all the steps required, especially the step of having their foreign high school diploma evaluated for US academic equivalency to ensure they have the prerequisite education necessary for college acceptance. CCI TheDegreePeople.com works with community colleges to develop a process that integrates the credential evaluation in with the application process. This means providing clear credential evaluations and making sure students can take the necessary extra tests, earning extra post-secondary credits, and converting the necessary work experience needed to fill in any gaps between their foreign high school education and a US high school diploma.

Investing in developing an application process that makes it easy for international students to apply pays off quickly. A study of community colleges across California found that 200 international students translates into $1.2 million in tuition revenue. This allows community colleges to hire more instructors, offer more classes and schedule flexibility, and create new degree programs.

For more information about how to increase international student enrollment visit www.TheDegreePeople.com.

# # #