After 14 years of declining enrollment, Westmoreland County Community College may be starting to reverse the trend.

As of the first day of classes, enrollment is up nearly 1.9%, or 42 students, compared to the first day of the 2024-25 academic year.

And that doesn’t account for students taking late-start courses or high school dual-enrollment students, said Anthony Underwood, vice president of enrollment management.

Final fall enrollment figures will be calculated Oct. 15, he said. But Underwood is optimistic about the early signs of growth.

“Like many community colleges across the country, there has been a contraction of enrollment for some time,” he said, “but we’re seeing those early indicators that we’ve shifted the direction of that graph.”

Underwood’s observation aligns with national data.

The number of students at community colleges fell 37% — by 2.6 million students — from 2010 to 2023, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

But the numbers are starting to bounce back, the research center reports.

Undergraduate enrollment at two-year community college programs saw a 5.3% increase in May — an additional 236,345 students from May 2024. The trend follows a 1.3% increase from May 2022 to May 2023 and a 4.9% increase from May 2023 to May 2024.

The research center updates its enrollment data each January and May.

Increase across campuses

Most of the college’s campuses — in Hempfield, Penn Township, White, Uniontown, East Huntingdon and Latrobe — are seeing an enrollment increase so far. The New Kensington campus’s enrollment appears to be unchanged compared to last year.

But New Kensington likely would have seen an enrollment increase if it weren’t for the loss of its surgical tech program, which was moved to the Hempfield campus, Underwood said. The surgical tech program has grown 17% this fall because the Hempfield campus has a larger capacity for students, he said.

Though the enrollment increase is reflected across the college’s academic programs, its tech, allied health and culinary courses are seeing the most notable bump in students, Underwood said.

President Kristin Mallory, who started at the college in July, attributes the enrollment increase to additional visibility at community events, local high schools and the region’s career and technical centers.

“This enrollment increase is a result of many people at the college who have gone well above and beyond to make sure the students were put first,” she said, “and to really help them through the enrollment process.

“For me, it’s just an exciting time. I’m just so proud to serve as president of this amazing institution and group of employees.”

Dual enrollment program

The college’s new dual enrollment program at the local career and technical centers may further the enrollment increase, Underwood said.

The WOLF — Workforce Oriented Learning for the Future — Scholars program will plant about two dual enrollment courses each at six career and technical centers. These include Central, Northern and Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology centers; Fayette County Career and Technical Institute; Connellsville Area Career & Technical Center; and Indiana County Technology Center.

Students enrolled in these courses will earn college credit that can be transferred to any higher education institution. And with the help of a $1 million state grant, these courses will be free of charge to students this school year and next.

In April, Gov. Josh Shapiro awarded $14 million to help 15 of the state’s higher education institutions lower the barriers for high school students to take advantage of dual enrollment opportunities.

Westmoreland County Community College was one of three Southwestern Pennsylvania institutions selected. PennWest received nearly $1 million, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania received $808,000.

Registration for the WOLF Scholars program will begin in September. Interested students can connect with their school’s guidance counselors for more information.

Underwood estimates the program will serve between 300 and 400 students.

“(The career and technical centers) have told us that there is a huge surge in interest in technical programs for students of all types,” he said. “It’s been communicated to us very clearly that with the availability of these courses supplied by the grant, we’re quickly going to be at full capacity for what the grant will support.”

Underwood is confident the WOLF Scholars program will translate to further enrollment increases for the college down the line.

Despite the progress, Mallory has no plans to slow down the college’s enrollment efforts.

“This is not a one and done,” she said. “We will continue to work to streamline our processes for the students so that when they apply and enroll, they know that we’re there for them every step of the way.

“Sometimes, going to college can be a little overwhelming, and we want to make sure the students have what they need.”

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