Miami Dade College tracking ahead in student headcount

Heading into the fall term, Miami Dade College is up 2% in credit enrollment hours and headcount.

Geared as a student-ready college, mini-terms that begin in September and October will also contribute toward a foreseeable rolling enrollment increase throughout the fall, said Dr. Malou C. Harrison, the college’s executive vice president and provost.

In July, Miami Dade College (MDC) reported a 6.6% increase in enrollment credit hours for the fall 2022 term year-over-year in comparison to fall 2021.

Course offerings are complemented by a host of tuition assistance programs such as MDC’s American Dream Scholarship, which is offered to eligible current year high school graduates, and scholarships for students interested in workforce training areas like Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), emerging technologies-cybersecurity and cloud computing, property management, and more.

“We expect to see major student participation and enrollment gains this fall, which is not yet accounted for, in dual enrollment, given several optimizations the college has recently enacted,” Dr. Harrison said.

In fall 2021, dual enrollment headcount reached 9,425 compared to 8,597 for fall 2020.

MDC has established teaching and learning options to meet the needs of new and continuing students regardless of where they live or work, who have seized the opportunity to take their courses via MDCOnline (asynchronous), MDCLIVE (synchronous virtual), hybrid, and in-person.

“The college is focused on our wide enrollment as the means by which it charts its strategies,” Dr. Harrison added, “ensuring that course offerings and support services are equitable across our eight campuses and Meek Center.”

For example, the Homestead Campus continues to increase substantially in enrollment, she said, which is no surprise given the population and housing growth in deep South Dade.

“We’ve established a brand-new Honors College at Homestead Campus this fall, and with our new Nursing Skills Lab at the Campus, our nursing program is flourishing,” she explained. “We are also seeing increases in enrollment at our Kendall, Hialeah, and West campuses, and this is extremely encouraging.”

Overall, gains in enrollment may be attributed to the number of first-time in college direct-entry students enrolling at MDC after high school graduation, Dr. Harrison said.

The momentum began with early summer enrollment programs such as the Rising Black Scholars Program and Fast Track Sharks.

The Rising Black Scholars Program provides free tuition for up to two years, along with holistic support services. This includes academic and co-curricular enrichment experiences to enhance the student experience.

Fast Track Sharks allows students to get an early start on their college education, as it covers tuition for the summer term immediately after high school.

“Gains experienced during the summer term have definitely transitioned forward to the fall term,” Dr. Harrison told Miami Today. “While new student enrollment is critical, gains in continuing student enrollment are integral in trying to get back to pre-pandemic levels.”

During this summer term, MDC has almost reached its best enrollment headcount figure in the last five years with 3,197 during summer 2022 compared to 3,373 during summer 2017.

College enrollments are counter-cyclical. Historically when there is a strong economy, college enrollments lag, she said. The college is on track for the current fall term enrollment to exceed that of the past couple of fall terms even in the current full-employment economy, she said.

“The college is not yet back to its pre-pandemic enrollment status,” Dr. Harrison said, “but we’re certainly closing that gap.”