Wisconsin tech school enrollment is gradually rebounding after pandemic

Wisconsin's system of 16 technical colleges has mostly recouped students it lost as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing in about the same number of students last fall as in 2019.

Data from the 1990s and early 2000s show that tech colleges have been facing enrollment declines for years. But that doesn't mean certain areas aren't expanding, according to the most recently available statewide data from fall 2022.

A majority of the 16 tech colleges are seeing increased enrollment. Statewide, data show more high schoolers are looking to tech colleges to earn free or low-cost college credit.

Tech colleges, which are primarily funded through public dollars, offer two-year associate's degrees, technical diplomas, English as a second language and adult education classes, among other types of training. The largest higher education system in Wisconsin, in terms of enrollment, tech colleges focus on creating affordable programs that educate students for professions that need workers in the state.

About 288,000 students enrolled in one of Wisconsin's tech colleges last fall, which are spread out statewide in districts that receive local property taxes. In comparison, the University of Wisconsin System enrolled about 160,000 students at the same time.

More: UW System enrollment holds steady, with most universities reporting modest declines

14 of 16 Wisconsin tech colleges saw enrollment increases in fall 2022

Fourteen of 16 technical colleges saw increased enrollment last fall, perhaps no surprise, given that more students have been coming back to school since the pandemic. Across the board, the tech college system grew by about 5% in enrollment between fall 2021 and 2022, or a gain of nearly 14,000 students.

The two colleges where enrollment declined last fall were Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville and Northwood Technical College in Rice Lake. They saw 5.6% and 1.6% drops, respectively.

One school stands out: Mid State, with 30% enrollment growth

Mid State enrolled 30% more students in fall 2022 than a year prior, or a gain of more than 2,300 students. As the name suggests, the college covers eight counties in the middle of the state, with locations in Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids.

In a news release, Mid State administrator Mindy Lang attributed the numbers to a five-year strategic plan launched in 2020. She said programs focused on continuing education and transfers to four-year universities, as well as culinary arts and dual credit for high schoolers, showed the "sharpest growth" since the plan went into place.

Enrollment increases mean tech colleges were just 1,570 students short of pre-pandemic numbers

Increasing enrollment across the board means fall 2022 enrollment was about 1,570 students shy of the same figure in fall 2019, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That's a welcome sign for the tech college system, which saw a 13% enrollment decline in fall 2020, nearly 38,000 fewer students than the year before.

Six of the 16 colleges had not regained their enrollment by fall 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels: Blackhawk, Northwood, Madison College, Milwaukee Area Technical College, and Nicolet College in Northern Wisconsin.

Despite recent increases, long-term trend shows declining overall enrollment

Headcount enrollment across the technical colleges, or the number of individual students enrolled no matter their credit load, has fallen by more than a third — about 36% — since fall 1992.

The number of full-time equivalent students in the same timeframe has also fallen, but less drastically, and only since the 2010s. Tech colleges consider one FTE student as taking 30 credits per year or more.

Last fall, tech colleges enrolled just over 60,000 FTE students — nearly the same number as in 1992. But FTE enrollment peaked in 2010 at almost 84,000 students and has trended down since.

Enrollment declines in Wisconsin follow national patterns. Enrollment across two-year colleges peaked around 2010 before beginning to steadily decline, according to an analysis by the American Association of Community Colleges. Between 2010 and 2017, national community colleges enrollment fell by 14%, about 1 million students.

Katy Pettersen, director of strategic advancement for the Wisconsin tech colleges, said the change in headcount from the '90s relates to the colleges offering fewer noncredit courses. With limited resources and increased demand from employers for skilled workers, she said, the colleges have shifted their focus to workforce education and technical programs.

One area where enrollment is growing: high schoolers taking free or low-cost college classes

According to the national study, declines in two-year college enrollment held steady across all age groups except for one: those younger than18.

The data reflect a trend also taking shape in Wisconsin. A Wisconsin Policy Forum study from July found nearly one in four Wisconsin high schoolers earned college credit in the 2021-22 school year. Tech colleges' dual enrollment has more than doubled in the last decade, reaching more than 62,000 students last fall.

For students, dual credit makes sense: Most of the time, it's free.

Several tech colleges offer high school "academies," or a preset track of classes that lead to credentials or credits in specific industries. For example, through Waukesha County Technical College high school students can earn 29 credits of 65 credits toward an associate's degree in nursing or an emergency medical technician technical diploma, among other programs.

Cleo Krejci covers higher education, vocational training and retraining as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. Support her work with a tax-deductible donation atbit.ly/RFADonation.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How has enrollment at WI technical colleges fared since the pandemic?