LYNN — The classrooms are a little more crowded at North Shore Community College this semester.
Enrollment has increased at the college by more than 10% this year compared to the same time last year, a reversal of the college’s 13-year-long decline in enrollment.
“There is no singular solution to reverse a sustained enrollment decline,” Provost Jennifer Mezquita said. “The college took bold action in a number of critical areas simultaneously, and the results are paying off.”
NSCC President William Heineman said a major part of the college’s growth this year was because of the increased accessibility for adults, with programs like MassReconnect, and for young people, with initiatives like the Early College program.
“We’re certainly looking for growth in other populations,” Heineman said. “Including adults and high-school students as well.”
Around 350 students from the NSCC have already benefited from the MassReconnect program, which allows students 25 or older who have not previously received degrees of any kind to enroll in and pursue a degree or certificate program at any public community college for free. Heineman said he expects the program to grow in the years to come.
According to Heineman, the automatic enrollment and scholarship opportunities for seniors graduating from public schools in Lynn helped with the improvement in enrollment among the traditional college-age population.
“I think that was an important contributing factor for the increase in enrollment,” Heineman said.
Heineman also mentioned the success of the school’s new and popular programs like the Cannabis Cultivation and Retail certificate and the Cybersecurity and Computer Networking degree.
“(Cybersecurity and Computer Networking) has essentially doubled since the fall of 2020,” Heineman said. “That’s a hot field in terms of the jobs available.”
Mark Priest, instructor and program chair for Herbaculture, said the NSCC’s new programs allow the school to attract new students.
“I think they’re just trying to identify what the school’s programs can be,” Priest said. “College environments and education kind of shifts and changes over time.”
