Sept. 21, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College’s enrollment is up by 4.4% for the fall 2021 semester, with increases sparked by opportunities through state and local programs lowering tuition costs and the opening of a consolidated Lakeshore Campus.
Count day tallies showed 12,685 students enrolled so far in the fall 2021 semester, a 4.4% increase over the fall 2020 semester. The number can still grow with opportunities to enroll in classes starting in the semester’s second seven weeks.
The number of on-campus classes increased dramatically from a year ago, and GRCC offers courses in other formats that have proven popular with students looking to schedule around home and work responsibilities. Students are able to attend in-person classes, hybrid classes that are partly on campus and partly online, real-time virtual classes, and traditional online classes.
“We understand there are great pressures on people’s time,” said Tina Hoxie, GRCC’s associate provost and dean of Student Affairs. “We now have a number of programs that remove cost as a barrier to education, but finding time can still be an obstacle for many students who want to start or come back to finish their education. We’re scheduling classes that are more convenient and allow people to keep moving forward, even if it is through two classes a semester.”
The state’s Futures for Frontliners and Michigan Reconnect programs have created opportunities for thousands of students to start – or restart – their education with free in-district tuition.
GRCC has 2,019 students enrolled through Futures for Frontliners, a state program for residents who worked in essential jobs during the spring 2020 COVID-19 shutdown.
Also, 998 students are enrolled through Michigan Reconnect, a state scholarship program providing free in-district tuition for those ages 25 and older who don’t already have a college degree.
Additional information is available at grcc.edu/reconnect, by emailing reconnect@grcc.edu or by calling (616) 234-3366.
The programs are part of Gov. Whitmer’s “60 by 30” goal: having 60% of Michiganders obtaining a degree or career-focused credential by 2030.
The programs are likely a factor in GRCC’s enrollment increases among older students. The number of students ages 30 to 39 jumped 37%, and students ages 40 to 49 increased 57%.
About 750 students are taking classes at the new GRCC Lakeshore Campus – with nearly 95% of the seats filled. Class sizes this semester are limited to 75% of capacity to follow COVID social distancing protocols.
The consolidated campus, located in a transformed JCPenney department store in the Shops at Westshore Mall in Holland Township, makes a college education more accessible and affordable for Lakeshore residents.
The headcount figures do not include GRCC Workforce Training programs, which do not operate on a semester schedule. About 10,560 students participated in Workforce Training programs during the 2021-2022 academic year.