As pockets shrink, student interest in area community colleges grow

Community colleges in central New York are experiencing a significant increase in their enrollment numbers this fall as families opt for more affordable higher education options in tough economic times. Onondaga Community College, five miles from Syracuse University, has seen a 15 percent increase in applications and a 10 percent increase in enrollment. These numbers raised the total number of students to 11,000, said Katherine Perry, director of admissions at OCC. "While many applicants are fresh out of high school, the economy and layoffs have certainly added to the number of adult applicants we have seen," Perry said. "We have students enrolling right now that have chosen OCC as their No. 1 choice. For many, it's no longer the back-up plan but their reality." OCC students have until Sept. 4 to complete their registration, but many introductory courses have already filled to capacity because of the high-enrollment volume. Many students will be forced to wait to take courses in the spring, Perry said. Cayuga Community College, with campuses in Fulton and Auburn, N.Y., has experienced a large increase in enrollment numbers, too. Both campuses are at maximum enrollment capacity. They currently have 3,507 students enrolled, an 18 percent increase from the previous year. The Fulton campus is working to expand its facilities and services to accommodate the increase in students, said Cheryl Anderson, Fulton's dean of enrollment and retention. Along with the increase in enrollment, there has been talk of tuition hikes for community colleges across the state. Cayuga has seen a 5 percent increase this academic year, with full-time tuition at $3,560, or $140 per credit hour, Anderson said. But OCC has not seen a significant increase. Tuition is $1,760 for full-time students this fall, said Perry, OCC admissions director. "Keeping up with the inflation rate is the only cause of the slight increase in tuition," Perry said. "Our main goal is to keep it affordable. At a private school, you may pay $21,000 each year and another $100 might not seem like much. Here, it could mean not being able to afford college at all." Despite the influx in community college admissions and lower tuition costs, many four-year institutions, including SU and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, remain optimistic about their own admission processes, said Steven O'Keefe, associate director of admissions at SU. While SU experienced a slight decline in the number of applications this fall from the previous year, the university was still able to top its enrollment goal of 3,250 with a total of 3,262 freshmen and transfer students, O'Keefe said. While O'Keefe said that there is a "constructive relationship" between SU and local community colleges because of the ease of transferring credits, he also mentioned the need for the university to increase recruitment strategies for the 2010-2011 academic year, should the economy continue to struggle. With the present economic situation, people continue to choose the community college route, O'Keefe said. Like community colleges, ESF has also experienced an increase in admissions. This fall, they experienced a 15 percent increase in applicants, though enrollment has remained the same as last year at 1,500 undergraduate students, said Susan Sanford, director of admissions at ESF. "The competition is definitely more heated now but (community colleges) aren't being seen as a threat," Sanford said. "These community colleges are SUNY schools as well."

cmdonn01@syr.edu