This fall Northwest-Shoals Community College is reporting more than 4,000 credit students for the first time since 2010.

NW-SCC has enrolled 4,071 credit students for the fall 2022 semester, which is an increase of 700 students, more than 20 percent, from the final fall 2021 figure of 3,371. 

According to NW-SCC President Dr. Jeff Goodwin, the college plans to build on this momentum and focus on providing the best virtual and on-campus environment for its students to be successful.

“It is an exciting time to be a part of Northwest-Shoals Community College,” said Goodwin. “The college is nearing completion of our new athletic fields, working on facility upgrades to both campuses, and we have an amazing team of people that are working hard every day to make sure our students are successful in their academics and in the workforce when they finish here.” 

NW-SCC saw increases in on-campus technical programs: child cevelopment up 26 percent, cosmetology up 24 percent, electrical up 30 percent and industrial systems up 35 percent.The college also notes a 12 percent increase in students taking virtual learning courses.  

The largest increase in student enrollment came from students taking dual enrollment courses at area high schools or on one of the college’s campuses. From fall 2021 to fall 2022, NW-SCC saw more than a 50 percent increase in dual students.  

Dr. Crystal Reed, NW-SCC dean of students, said high school partnerships are essential to having a thriving dual enrollment program. “High school students are more interested in taking college-level courses than ever before at Northwest-Shoals,” said Reed. “Our K-12 school systems are doing an amazing job guiding their students into career pathways that are well suited for their students.

“Our high school partnerships create an environment that promotes academic and career success,” added Reed. “We want our area high school students to easily transition to Northwest-Shoals, a university or into the workforce immediately after they graduate high school.” 

The 4,071-student headcount is an unofficial student census following the registration of all dual enrollment high school students and does not include students who might be auditing a class or enrolled in non-credit workforce training courses. Fall semester enrollment numbers are not official until verified by the Alabama Community College System at the end of the semester.