ACC Set for Record Enrollment Increase

The Austin Community College District began the fall semester this week with record enrollment, according to preliminary data. The college counted 38,420 credit students on the first day – an increase of more than 4,000 students compared to fall 2008. Throughout the first day of the fall 2009 semester, ACC enrolled an additional 1,100 students.

“We definitely felt the effects of increased enrollment,” says Linda Kluck, ACC’s director of admissions and records. “We’re so excited. It almost feels like half of Austin has come through our doors. Most classes are full, the campuses are alive – it’s amazing.”

ACC makes its numbers official on the twelfth day of the semester, but there’s no doubt about it – the demand is escalating, and ACC is growing to meet that demand. The college is adding course sections and hiring more faculty and staff, with the new budget including 20 new support staff jobs and 30 new full-time faculty positions.

The rise in enrollment includes both traditional age and non-traditional students. As the college holds the line on in-district tuition rates, more and more are taking advantage of ACC’s university transfer program.

“ACC’s affordability makes it the smart choice for my family,” says Bruce Anderson, whose son Tyler is a new ACC student. “Tyler can get his core courses out of the way at ACC before transferring to UT, saving us thousands of dollars – and in this economy, that makes all the difference.”

The first day numbers also show that ACC’s enrollment of certain demographics is on the rise. In a year-to-year comparison, the college has grown this fall:

  • to 3,329 black students, an increase of nearly 18 percent
  • to 9,511 Hispanic students, a 13 percent increase

“These numbers show that our efforts to close the achievement gap are working,” says Dr. Stephen B. Kinslow, ACC president/CEO. “This is significant progress toward making higher education accessible to all students, and an educated community means a stronger economy.”

ACC will open its Round Rock Campus in fall 2010, enabling the college to serve thousands more students. The college has purchased additional property recently, including land near the Rio Grande Campus and 36 and a half acres directly east of the Pinnacle Campus. The college is also “land banking” to ensure that ACC has sufficient opportunities to grow in the future as enrollment increases.

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