Reflecting a population boom and concerns over a slumping economy, spring enrollment at Howard Community College is expected to increase nearly 10 percent over a year ago.
Enrollment applications for next semester are up nearly 22 percent over last year, but HCC officials say that more than half will not follow through.
A 10 percent enrollment increase would still be "a big step," said Kate Heatherington, the school's vice president of student services. "Even if the economy is a bit soft, it's a great time to be working in the community college field."
If there is a 10 percent increase at HCC, its population would be nearly 5,800 students. An all-time high of 5,900 students enrolled this fall, when enrollments are generally higher.
Not all local community colleges have reported their initial applications for the spring semester, but many say applications are up.
Baltimore City College has experienced an 8 percent application increase over last spring, while Anne Arundel Community College has experienced a nearly 13 percent increase.
Many community college leaders say they can't be sure why enrollment has grown until they have had time to analyze the data.
"We can't say for certain," why [enrollment has increased]," said Fran Turcott, a spokeswoman for Anne Arundel Community College.
Education experts say there is probably a mixture of reasons for the increase in community college students.
Because of a "baby boomlet" - children of baby boomers reaching college age - applications to many universities have grown recently. Towson University and the University of Maryland, College Park are reporting more than 25 percent increases in applications for next fall.
But some experts expect community college numbers to swell in particular because, in addition to the baby boomlet, community colleges are likely to see an increase in workers looking to re-educate themselves for the job market.
"Historically, enrollment at community colleges goes up when the economy takes a downturn," said Norma G. Kent, director of communications for the American Association of Community Colleges in Washington.
During the late 1980s, the number of students attending community college nationwide rose steadily, reaching a peak of nearly 5.63 million in 1992, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
As the economy heated up during the 1990s, nationwide enrollment steadily dropped, eventually to 5.4 million in 1997.
"During good times, a lot of people will either go to more expensive, four-year schools or not feel the need for further training," Kent said.
HCC officials say they are prepared for the student population to grow significantly during the next several years. Several temporary classrooms designed for art students are scheduled to open next semester, and students also can take classes at HCC's North Laurel satellite campus.
"We've still got room to grow," Heatherington said.
