CCRI enrollments fell off a cliff during COVID. Now they're working to recruit students

WARWICK — The Community College of Rhode Island is steadily rebuilding its enrollments after taking a big hit during the pandemic.

While CCRI has yet to recover from its pre-pandemic numbers, the college has seen a 20% jump in enrollment this spring over last year – nearly 900 additional students.

“We are, at this moment, bucking the trend,” said Greg LaPointe, the college’s associate vice president of impact and institutional effectiveness. “We’re seeing increases across the board: all races, full- and part-time students, new students and continuing students.”

His and her diplomas: They've walked down the aisle, now they're walking CCRI's stage

Area of growth: CCRI sees a big jump in online learning as the pandemic complicates many students' lives

Nationally, community college enrollments plummeted by nearly 15% last fall compared to two years earlier, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Many students put a pause on their college experience in 2019-2020, facing pressure to work full-time, care for family members, or stay home with their children while schools went online.

Two years ago, CCRI, like many two-year institutions, was reeling from the pandemic. That fall, the college announced the layoffs of 45 full-time, non-teaching staff in addition to furloughs.

“The pandemic is the greatest crisis facing this college in its 60 years,” CCRI's president, Meghan Hughes, said last October. “It has caused us to double down on serving the communities hardest hit by the pandemic and achieving equitable access.”

Three years ago, the college’s enrollment had dropped 28%. The following year, it was up 7%.

“Before the pandemic, we brought in our largest class in a long time,” LaPointe said. “Over the last two years, we’ve basically reached bottom. It’s been super turbulent here over the past two years. We believe we’ve basically reached bottom.”

The fallout: CCRI laying off 45 full-time staff

How CCRI has tried to encourage enrollment

The college has since redoubled its efforts to bring back adult students who had dropped out by offering a year of free tuition and wraparound support services. So far, 500 adult learners have returned.

“Students today want a personalized education,” LaPointe said. “We have advisers assigned to each student. We work with you as you enter college and help you enroll in the right classes. We’re seeing the fruits of that now.”

CCRI tries to appeal to the whole student. Advisers talk to students about what careers fit their interests and what organizations and clubs are available.

“We really have a focus on making sure students have clear academic paths,” said Amy Kacerik, dean of enrollment management. “They have to understand why they are here and what they are headed toward. This is really fruitful in helping students stay on track.”

How remote learning became a path to the future

CCRI also pivoted to distance learning at a time when students needed a more flexible schedule. The experiment has shifted the way students learn at the college, where the average student is 25, holding down a job, and, in some cases, raising children.

In the fall of 2019, 21% of students were enrolled in at least one online course; only 5% were enrolled exclusively online. Last fall, 66% of students were enrolled in at least one online course, and 34% were exclusively online.

How Rhode Island Promise continues to impact enrollment

Rhode Island Promise, which offers two years of free tuition to students who enroll right out of high school, earn a C-plus average and attend full-time, has been a game changer for the college. Applications are up 20% from last year.

“Our goal is to bring in between 2,000 and 2,200 through Promise,” LaPointe said. “Before the pandemic, we brought in about 2,600 students. We have a long way to go to get back to where we were."

Meanwhile, a joint admissions agreement allows community college students to be conditionally accepted at Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island as a junior with a 30% tuition discount, depending on the student’s grade point average.

“If you join the joint admission program, that first semester, you meet with an adviser from RIC and URI and you continue to do so until you graduate to make sure you’re on the right track,” Kacerik said.

Finally, CCRI is reaching out to potential students where they live, meeting with parents at high schools, at recreation centers, on campus and online.

“I’m grateful where we are,” LaPointe said. “Do I think the impact of the pandemic is over? No. But we will work to get us back to where we were pre-pandemic.”

Linda Borg covers education for The Journal.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: CCRI looks to boost enrollment and grow class size post-COVID