NIC enrollment rises 5.4 percent this year

North Idaho College posted an enrollment increase this fall of 5.4 percent, 239 students more than last year.

That brings the total number of people taking courses at NIC this fall to 4,631 – the most ever. But not all are full time. More students are taking classes part time this fall, with part-time enrollment accounting for 46 percent of NIC’s enrollment, instead of last year’s 42 percent.

More high school students and senior citizens are taking classes at NIC, with the dual enrollment program growing by 25 percent this year, to 338. The number of seniors taking classes has exploded to 158 this fall, up from 23 last year.

While the boost is good news for NIC, which recently faced big budget cuts resulting in part from last year’s enrollment drop, the yearly numbers are hard to compare.

This year, the college changed its enrollment accounting procedures to better match those of other colleges, making it difficult to weigh this year’s figures with last year’s.

The college now classifies academic credits taken by students enrolled in professional-technical education programs as part of the overall academic credit enrollment instead of PTE enrollment. That will cause a drop in the number of professional-technical credit hours taken, but state funding of PTE is not tied to enrollment like it is for academic programs. Also, students who haven’t paid tuition yet now are included in the enrollment figures.