KCC enrollment grows for fifth consecutive semester, up more than 14% this spring

Greyson Steele, Battle Creek Enquirer
·2 min read
Students returning to Kellogg Community College for the start of the spring semester on Tuesday will be part of a student body that's more than 14% larger than the one last spring.
Students returning to Kellogg Community College for the start of the spring semester on Tuesday will be part of a student body that's more than 14% larger than the one last spring.

BATTLE CREEK — Enrollment continues to climb at Kellogg Community College.

Students returning to campus for the start of the spring semester on Tuesday will be part of a student body that's more than 14% larger than the one last spring.

A week before the start of spring classes, KCC has enrolled 3,427 students for the spring semester so far, a 14.27% increase — nearly 430 students — over the same timeframe last year.

It’s the fifth consecutive semester of enrollment growth at the college after a Fall 2023 headcount that wound up more than 11% higher than Fall 2022.

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KCC officials attribute the increase to a variety of factors, including various process improvements related to the development of a new strategic enrollment plan during the 2022-23 academic year, as well as a general continuation of a return to normalcy following the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

“Kellogg Community College is excited to see that students are returning to school with enthusiasm and drive to complete or begin their studies,” KCC Registrar Colleen Wright said in a news release. “This enrollment increase is due to student persistence and offering options by the college, be it online or in the classroom. KCC faculty and staff have worked to make varied avenues of learning possible to keep students on their program pathways.”

Kellogg Community College has enrolled 3,427 students for the spring semester so far, a 14.27% increase — nearly 430 students — over the same timeframe last year.
Kellogg Community College has enrolled 3,427 students for the spring semester so far, a 14.27% increase — nearly 430 students — over the same timeframe last year.

While the first spring-semester classes officially begin Tuesday, many classes don’t start until later in the semester, and students can still sign up for classes several days to weeks after the semester start date, depending on the class. KCC’s Industrial Trades programs, meanwhile, offer an open-entry enrollment process that allows students to sign up for most training modules at any time during the semester, meaning enrollment numbers "will only go up from here."

All students new to KCC must fill out an application and verify their address before signing up for classes. Admissions applications can be completed online at kellogg.edu/apply.

One new opportunity for students considering classes at KCC this spring is an expansion to the popular Michigan Reconnect program that now allows eligible students ages 21 to 24 without a degree to take classes tuition-free. Previously the program was only open to students ages 25 and up.

The Michigan Reconnect expansion is temporary, and applications at this time are only anticipated to be open for applicants ages 21 to 24 until Nov. 15, 2024.

Interested individuals should visit kellogg.edu/reconnect for details or contact the KCC Financial Aid Office at (269) 965-4123 or finaid@kellogg.edu.

Student registration information, including links to registration instructions, policies, tuition and fees and other information, is available at kellogg.edu/registration. Information about spring registration is also available by contacting KCC’s Admissions Office at (269) 965-4153 or adm@kellogg.edu.

Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: KCC enrollment up more than 14% for the spring semester