BENTONVILLE -- Northwest Arkansas Community College announced Tuesday its enrollment has declined.
The college reported 7,081 students taking courses for credit as of Tuesday, the fall semester's 11th day of classes, in a college news release. The enrollment represented a decrease of 502 students, or 7%, from the same point in 2020, according to the release.
The college last year reported 7,583 students on the 11th day, according to the release.
"This slight downturn in our enrollment is indicative of the on-going challenges associated with the covid-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, it is important to celebrate the fact that students are coming back to campus and continuing their education," said Todd Kitchen, said student services vice president.
"We are most pleased by the numbers of students attending classes at our new NWACC-Washington County location," he said. "Our student headcount has doubled there since last fall"
The 11th-day numbers only reflect students who are taking courses for college credit, according to the release. In addition to credit enrollment, the college also serves approximately 4,000 additional learners through workforce development, adult education and other career-credit programs.
The total enrollment figure and other numbers cited for the 2021 fall semester are preliminary, unofficial numbers, according to the release.
Northwest Arkansas Community College is the largest two-year college in the state.
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Enrollment
Here are Northwest Arkansas Community College’s preliminary enrollment reports for the 11th day of classes for the past five fall semesters. “Change” means the percentage change from the previous fall.
Year Enrollment Change
2021
2020 7,583 -12.3%
2019 8,649 4.1%
2018 8,308 4.4%
2017 7,960 -0.2%
Source: Northwest Arkansas Community College