Attendance up in spring

January 23, 2006

The number of students attending the college has increased by four-percent with the start of spring semester. Hefty

tuition increases over the last three years are blamed for enrollment losses that hit colleges hard throughout California. In

2003, with tuition at $11 per unit, Irvine Valley had its highest enrollment ever with 13,205 students. But by spring semester

in 2004, tuition had jumped to $18 statewide and attendance began to sag as students felt the pinch of higher costs. By

2005, tuition had reached the current $26 per unit, and colleges struggled to meet their growth projections.

With declining enrollments, Irvine Valley began new marketing and outreach programs to lure students back to classrooms. Now with a long-awaited boost in attendance, the college also expects to see an increase in revenues from the state; community colleges receive state funding based on attendance.

When the college reports its final figures to the state during the census period later this month, actual attendance numbers may be even higher. According to college Admissions and Records Director John Edwards, new applications are up by seven-percent during the current semester, which historically have translated to higher enrollments. With the numbers in several categories above last year during the same reporting period, Edwards points to a definite enrollment improvement as the college nears the end of its fiscal year.