NIC enrollment climbs after fall count

Enrollment at North Idaho College grew 15% since last fall, according to State Board of Education data.

There are 4,585 students at the college this October, up from 3,979 in 2023 and 4,296 in 2022. However, the college is still 3% down in overall enrollment from four years ago.

The growth comes as NIC fights to retain accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The college Wednesday welcomed three new trustees, who ran on a platform of retaining accreditation and creating stability for the school.

The numbers continue a jump noted in August, after enrollment increased for the first time in more than a decade. In 2011, NIC had 6,750 total students.

The October numbers capture both full-time students, at 1,209, and part-time students at 2,898, an 18% increase. The part-time list includes high school students taking dual-credit classes. There are 478 students enrolled in career-technical programs — a 14% increase from last year, but a 22% decrease from four years ago, when 612 students took CTE courses.

Tami Haft, NIC’s dean of enrollment services, presented the enrollment data to NIC trustees Wednesday, and audience members applauded the news of enrollment increases. Haft noted that the college attracted 211 new students, a 37% rise in new student enrollment.

Here’s how NIC’s student enrollment breaks down:

• 47% of students are in programs to transfer to a four-year university.
• 38% are in dual-credit courses.
• 10% are in career-technical education.
• 5% are in non-degree programs.

Click here to see the fall enrollment numbers for colleges and universities statewide.