A number of factors are contributing to the Kenai Peninsula College’s decrease in enrollment this semester, which was expected.
Suzie Kendrick with KPC says student numbers on their four campuses are down overall by 10%.
Kendrick: “Last year one of our very popular programs in Anchorage, our Occupational Safety and Health Program which was a 2-year degree, that was absorbed by UAA and is no longer offered through KPC. That had a pretty strong enrollment, so if I’m looking at just those numbers this year at this particular time, that location is down almost 50%.”
Another trend noted by the college’s administrators has been smaller graduating high school classes throughout the borough.
Kendrick: “That will be a trend that’s going to continue for some time. When the high school graduate numbers drop, our enrollments tend to reflect that.”
Kendrick says KPC also lost enrollment in their distance learning credits because campuses like UAA, UAF, and UAS increased the number of online classes, as well as the number of students in those.