By Remy Gardner
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – Camden County College is continuing to get more and more popular. As the years roll by, the school is realizing that the student enrollment headcount rate is on a steady increase.
The Camden County College Strategic Plan to 2015 stated, “Our total credit enrollments have increased over the past five years by 6 percent to 15,670 in Fall 2009 from 14,737 in Fall 2005.” Found in a documented total headcount enrollment spreadsheet, the enrollment of part-time students in Fall 2001 was 6,638 and increased to 7,470 in Fall 2010. The enrollment of full-time students in Fall 2001 was 5,928 and increased to 8,022 in Fall 2010.
A student on the Camden County College Blackwood campus felt the tuition at the school plays a major role in the enrollment headcount increase trend. Desirae Caruso, a 22-year-old liberal arts major, claimed, “I think CCC is continuing to grow as a public community college because it is local to many students recently graduating high school and it is a lot cheaper than a public four-year school.”
According to the Camden County College Strategic Plan to 2015, “The mix of student enrollment by mode of delivery continues to change. We now offer more courses in more convenient formats, including seven- and 13-week mini-sessions, a winter intersession, online courses, hybrid courses and a weekend college cohort. Growth in these non-traditional course offerings has been significant. For example, enrollment in distance learning courses (online courses) increased from 5,965 credits in Fall 2005 to 9,773 credits in Fall 2009, an increase of over 3,800 credits (64 percent).”
The college claims, “Additionally, our students are successful upon transfer, with our primary receiving institutions reporting that our students perform as well as or better than their native students. Graduate follow-up studies report that 60 percent of our students transfer; 83 percent are employed in a field related to their study; and 93 percent report achievement of their educational goals.”
Camden County College showed confidence the increasing headcount trend will continue because of its reputation and its alumni’s success stories being passed onto future students.