Tennessee community colleges see slight enrollment bump after pandemic decline

Tennessee community colleges saw a small bump in enrollment from last year’s fall semester numbers, marking an end to a three-year decline amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

This fall, a total of 72,289 students enrolled across 13 community colleges, according to data presented to the Tennessee Board of Regents last week. That’s up from 71,804 last year, adding up to a 1% increase.

The bump is due in part to more high school students earning college credit through dual enrollment courses, a news release from the board said. Roughly a quarter of overall community college enrollment is made up of high schoolers in Tennessee.

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Dual enrollment numbers are up 11% from last year. The state recently expanded its tuition coverage, fully covering up to five courses and heavily discounting tuition for an additional five.

The board also oversees colleges of applied technologies and will hear a report on enrollment data for those schools in December. Find the full agenda, board materials and video recordings of the latest quarterly board meetings, held from Sept. 21-22, at tbr.edu/board/september-2023-quarterly-board-meeting.