Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal | January 27, 2025 | wbjournal.com F O C U S N O R T H C E N T R A L M A S S . Enrollment surge Amid decade-high enrollment growth, Mount Wachusett Community College is turning to wrap- around services to keep students on track BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer T his past fiscal year, Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner quietly achieved a milestone, re- cording the largest over-the- year enrollment increase of any of Cen- tral Mass. state university or community college in the past 10 years. e college's headcounted rose 20.28% from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2024 while its full-time equivalent enrollment jumped 23.17%, according to the Mass. Depart- ment of Higher Education. In the past few years, MWCC had been dealing with a decline in the K-12 age population, and as a result, the college had been tamping down its enrollment expectations, said MWCC President James Vander Hooven. Preliminary data shows MWCC's spring enrollment is up 24% from spring 2024, but getting students into college seats is only the first step. "e challenge now becomes: How do we serve these students so that they can be successful?" Vander Hooven said. e college has turned its attention to retention. MWCC is doubling down on its academic support to ensure students continue their degree paths, and expand- ing its wraparound services to address the life barriers oen forcing students to leave their studies behind. State aid, student support Vander Hooven credits the majority of the enrollment spike to state initiatives PHOTO | EDD COTE 1,000 2,000 3000 4,000 5,000 6,000 '15 '16 '17 '19 '18 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24 Total students Full-time equivalent enrollment 4,709 2,157 Mount Wachusett Community College enrollment After dipping annually for the past nine fiscal years, enrollment at Mount Wachusett Community College rose in fiscal 2024 to close to 2020 levels. making community college free. "We are expanding access to higher education for folks of all ages who just never felt like it was an opportunity that they could take," said Vander Hooven. In 2023, Massachusetts established its "I believe every institution can do a better job of helping support students who have historically had lower comple- tion rates," said James Vander Hooven, president of Mount Wachusett Community College. Source: Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

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