Virginia Peninsula Community College announced enrollment for its summer session rose by 11%. That is on the heels of an 8% enrollment increase for the 2023-24 academic year and more than a 7% increase for spring 2024 over spring 2023.
College President Dr. Towuanna Porter Brannon expects the trend to continue.
“We’re projecting for the fall anywhere between a 2 and 5% increase in our student enrollment,” she said.
The College’s completion rate also improved, going from about 19% a decade ago to 31% now. Dual enrollment has increased 29%, and its three-year graduation rate is up 3%. This trend, in part, can be traced to fall 2022, when enrollment increased 3.2% from fall 2021, ending an eight-year decline.
Numbers for FastForward, a VCCS program that began in July 2016 allowing Virginia residents to earn credentials or career studies certificates (CSC) in as few as six months, are increasing at even higher rates.
Dr. Brannon, who receives enrollment reports from the program every week, said the numbers fluctuate between 18-30%.
“It’s incredible to see how many people are coming to the institution for those short-term credentials,” she said.
However, that is just the start. The program’s completion rate is up 18%. The number of its graduates employed within six months went from 40% to 80%. Wages for those in the program have increased from 40% to 125%.
Those last few numbers are the most important, Dr. Brannon said.
“Getting a degree is not impactful if you are not employed or transferring,” she said, adding she expects the upward trend to continue.
Among VPCC programs experiencing the most enrollment growth are Electrical Engineering Technology (58%), Automotive Technology (20%), Health Science (17%), Emergency Medical Technician (13%), and Visual Arts (12%).
For more information about academic and workforce development programs at VPCC, visit www.vpcc.edu.