Kennebec Valley Community College students on campus. (Photo by Maine Community College System)
Enrollment at Maine’s community colleges continues to increase, two years after the state made the system free for students to attend.
According to early estimates, enrollment increased by almost 9 percent compared with last year. The incoming headcount as of late August for this fall is 16,670 students, compared with 15,334 students on the same date last year. That number is likely to continue rising; between August and October last year, enrollment increased by more than 400 students to reach an all-time high of 19,477 students.
This year, more students are expected to sign up as the semester begins, and the system is on track to exceed last year’s numbers, according to Noel Gallagher, spokesperson for the Maine Community College System. High schoolers taking early college classes are included in the headcount, which will also boost enrollment numbers after schools start.
Such programs, in addition to campuses offering more night and weekend classes, and increased capacity for popular programs such as nursing, are credited with drawing more students to the system, Gallagher said.
This is in addition to the bump seen since Gov. Janet Mills first launched the free college scholarship in 2022, which has since been extended.
All seven campuses across the state saw enrollment go up this year based on the late August headcount, with a significant increase at the state’s smallest community college in Washington County, according to enrollment data.
Much like the University of Maine System, which reversed a four-year trend of declining enrollment this fall, Maine’s community colleges are recruiting a broader range of people and offering classes in different modalities and locations that make it convenient for people to work and take classes, Gallagher said.
“We’re sort of targeting new populations to come in and be students,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of work in their communities to find out what are the needs in the immediate area for both people who want education, and then also, what the employers need.”
For example, a midcoast hospital needed more trained nurses but was having trouble recruiting since the closest college that taught nursing was two hours away, Gallagher said, so the system is now offering nursing classes at the hospital..
“All of these factors are playing a role in ongoing strong enrollment at the colleges, and we couldn’t be more pleased that we’re able to offer more low- or no-cost educational opportunities to more students,” said David Daigler, president of the Maine Community College System, in a statement.
“It’s also a reminder that the clock is ticking on the free college scholarship … so we strongly urge all high school seniors to plan for a tuition-free college experience at Maine’s community colleges.”
The last high school class eligible for the free college initiative will graduate next year, but they have until the 2027-28 school year to enroll in community college. The system hopes the Maine Legislature will help make free community college permanent, Gallagher said.
The increase in community college enrollment coincides with a 39 percent increase in transfer students at Maine’s public universities this year. The two systems are launching a partnership this fall that guarantees admission to community college students at one of the University of Maine System schools.
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