ALEX HOBEN
editor-in-chief
alexandra.hoben@my.tccd.edu

TCC student enrollment went up across the district and some students are noticing the change.

With the beginning of the school year, students new and returning are settling back into routine. Fall 2022 marks a year since the district returned to in-person classes and enrollment has been on the rise. Associate vice chancellor of enrollment and academic support services David Ximenez shared the statistics related to the increase.

“TCC’s District and Campus Enrollment History reveals our fall 2022 enrollment is up 7% over our fall 2021 enrollment,” he said. “This webpage reveals our fall 2022 census date enrollment is 43,531; compared to 40,561 students enrolled at census date in fall 2021.”

Ximenez said that he believes students are coming in because of the diversity of class choices as well as the tuition price rate. He also explained the efforts used not only to continue providing flexibility in options for classes but also to bring in more students to the district.

“TCC returned to primarily face-to-face classes in fall 2021, while keeping a large inventory of online offerings for students who prefer remote class options,” Ximenez said. “TCC also increased its recruitment and onboarding communication efforts to attract prospective students and keep continuing students informed and engaged.”

South student Aisha Alfaro has noticed the new increase of students but isn’t sure if the trend will continue through the semester.

“I’ve noticed more people, but like, forward on the year they start leaving.” she said.

Alfaro, a student with TCC for two semesters, shared her reasons for attending TCC were primarily because she didn’t know what she wanted to do yet and the prices and location of South Campus were the best for her.

“They’re way less than the normal ones and this is near home,” she said.

South student Jacob Knott highlighted that a great aspect of TCC is the ability to transfer credits to the schools of their choice.

“I think the main thing with enrollment is, keep in mind TCC, it’s known for having a very widespread amount of being able to transfer,” he said. “So a lot of people, they come, they’re able to get their base associates in whatever degree they need and then when they do transfer, they’re already ahead of the game. I think that’s probably why it’s a lot more increased compared to most basic universities.”

Student peer leader Ren Maenza-Oliver has had an up close look as to the increased enrollment rates through the orientations she leads around NE Campus.

“I’m pretty sure most of our orientations were at capacity which is 300, also our makeup sessions as well,” she said.

NE student Keandre Means is happy to see the increased number of students on campus and is sure some of the reasons are not just the affordability but also the faculty and the quality of education.

“The people I’ve met so far really enjoy learning here at TCC, so I think the uptick will be constant all semester,” he said.

Means explained the reason he enrolled was because of the quality of the radio and television program offered at NE Campus and how much he is grateful for the program.

“The RTVB program here at TCC has helped me dive deeper into what it is I’m truly passionate about, while also giving me the necessary skills to pursue a fulfilling career with what I’ve learned,” he said. “Every single instructor that teaches in this program is so awesome and I really appreciate how dedicated and passionate they are about what they teach.”

Means is also grateful about the increase because of the liveliness and diversity that it brings to the school and its community. The only thing he’s noticed is a slight decrease in available parking spots.

“Parking has gotten a bit more difficult for me this semester, most likely because of the increase in students, but I still think it’s okay at the moment,” he said.