Northwest College’s spring 2021 enrollment was in-line with what it typically sees relative to its fall enrollment.
Preliminary figures show the total headcount stood at 1,442 students this semester, down just one from the fall.
Meanwhile, the full-time equivalent (FTE) — which is the total credit hours taken of all students divided by 12 — was 1,133.4. That represents a roughly 6% decline from last fall’s FTE of 1,204.8, but was consistent with historic trends; spring enrollment is usually about 7% lower than the fall FTE.
Population differences
The college has struggled with enrollment over the past decade, which has been a trend across the country and state for most institutions. NWC’s headcount from the fall 2009 semester stood at 2,198 and sank to 1,461 by the fall of 2019, according to the Wyoming Community College Commission. That 33.5% at NWC was the steepest decline among the state’s seven community colleges, according to the commission data. The next-highest was Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, where the headcount dropped 30.7% over the same period.
Northwest College, however, started out with one of the highest headcounts in the state relative to the population of the county where it’s based. In 2009, NWC’s headcount represented 78 students per 1,000 residents in Park
County. In comparison, Casper College had 62 students per 1,000 Natrona County residents; Casper College’s enrollment fell 22.3% over the decade. Similarly, Laramie County Community College, located in Cheyenne within the state’s most populous county, had a per capita headcount of 55, and saw its student population drop 15% in the 10-year period.
Northwest College’s service area — which includes Park, Big Horn, and Washakie counties — also saw considerable decreases in younger populations from 2009 to 2019. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the population of people ages 15 to 19 dropped 1.1%, the 20-24 population dropped 0.5%, and the 25-29 population dropped 1.4%. This at a time the overall population increased 3.4%.
Between 2010 and 2020, the number of NWC students ages 18 to 21 dropped from nearly 1,100 to just over 600.
Another impact to NWC’s enrollment figures is that more students are taking college courses during their high school years. Students under the age of 18 made up 5% of NWC’s total enrollment in fall 2010, but by last fall, they made up 24%.
Student success
As Northwest College struggles with enrollment, its completion and retention rates have regularly placed above the state and national averages. In fall 2016, the college’s completion rate — which measures how many students enroll at the institution and go on to graduate with a degree or certificate — stood at 44%. The state average was 40%. Northwest College’s rate was the second-highest in the state, but it has been consistently top in the state for degrees completed per 100 FTE.
NWC’s retention rate, a measurement of students who enroll in consecutive fall terms, was above the state average since the fall 2013 semester. In the fall 2018 semester, the retention rate was at 65%, whereas the state average was 57%. NWC’s rate dropped in fall 2019 to 57%, likely due to the impacts of the pandemic in 2020, which temporarily resulted in the campus being closed to the public.
Another measure of NWC’s high student success rates is its combined three-year transfer and completion rate, which has been 59-60% for the last four years.
Some students come to NWC knowing they’re going to transfer, and leave prior to getting a degree. If they transfer after completing their degree, they’re included in the completion rate. So combining transfer and completion rates gives a fuller picture of how much students are obtaining educational goals at the institution.
“Completion is only one picture of success for our students,” NWC Institutional Research Manager Lisa Smith said at the March board of trustees meeting.
The college also saw successes in terms of student satisfaction. According to NWC’s key performance indicators, which are gathered from multiple surveys and data sources, 88% of students agreed or strongly agreed on questions related to achievement of student learning outcomes. Smith described the outcome as “they are learning what they expected to learn.”
The key performance indicators did show the college losing ground with employee satisfaction.
Measures of employee pride in the institution fell from 81% in 2016 to 69% in 2020.
Smith also noted that wages and salaries have lost ground compared to market value, and employee satisfaction with professional development and training opportunities fell during the last four years.
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Though enrollment dips, college sees record completions - Powell Tribune
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