First-time, full-time enrollment up at NPC
National Park College reported increases in total semester credit hours, first-time full-time student and fulltime equivalent enrollment this week in its official tally for the fall semester.
First-time full-time enrollment increased by 14 percent from 493 students a year ago to 563 this semester. The college’s count of degree seeking students held steady at 2,219 college students from 2,218 in the fall of 2016.
Preliminary numbers show fulltime equivalent for college students is up approximately 6 percent, from
1,797 last year to 1,899 this fall. Total semester credit hours increased to
28,485 from 26,875 a year ago. “We are excited to see semester credit hours and FTE continue to climb,” said Jerry Thomas, vice
president for student affairs and enrollment services. “This growth is a clear indicator of student success and it means that our students are taking more hours and decreasing time to degree.”
NPC participated in Complete College America’s “15 to Finish” initiative this year to help encourage students to take more hours and complete their degree on time. The College restructured fees to create a single credit hour fee and capped tuition and fees at 15 credit hours.
The changes were designed to incentivize heavier course loads. Students taking less hours will pay slightly more this year and those taking more hours will pay slightly less.
Tuition is unchanged for the second consecutive year at $88 per credit hour for in-district students, $98 per credit hour for out-of-district students, $134 per credit hour for out-of-state residents and $198 per credit hour for international students. The board of trustees approved a $1 per credit hour decrease the previous year when the college rebranded.
“Our team has worked tirelessly to attract more students and increase degree attainment and these counts reflect their efforts,” said NPC President John Hogan. “A 6-percent increase in FTE is a significant indicator of our success.
“Our team has worked hard to make sure our community and prospective students are aware of the benefits NPC offers at a cost that is less than half of the average Arkansas university. This increase has been earned at a time when most U.S. colleges with similar missions are experiencing enrollment declines.”
High school concurrent credit enrollment decreased last year to 714 students. The total decreased again this year by 152 to 562 students.
Concurrent enrollment has decreased due to tightened instructor accreditation. A majority of concurrent credit classes are provided in local high schools and the restrictions make it difficult for districts to maintain faculty with the required credentials to teach college-level coursework.
The decrease in concurrent enrollment is responsible for almost the entirety of the college’s decrease in total college credit enrollment from 2,921 last year to 2,781 this year. The total college credit enrollment was 3,015 in 2015 and 3,001 in 2014. The college has placed emphasis on the total enrollment in recent years as new funding models reward full-time equivalent enrollment and successful student outcomes.
The Adult Basic Education program has served 410 students and approximately 12,000 contact hours since July 1. Community and Corporate Training programs have served 650 students and logged 12,824 contact hours since July 1.
Almost 600 high schools students are enrolled in classes at National Park Technology Center.
The technical center’s enrollment in 2016 was 575 students, a decrease of about 40 from the year before.
NPTC Director Mike Wiles said he attributes the growth to the National Park Promise scholarship and expects to see the numbers continue to improve as more students learn about the program. The college announced the “last dollar promise scholarship” in May to cover all college tuition and fees for students who complete programs at NPTC during their junior and senior years in high school. The college previously awarded a 50 percent tuition scholarship to students who completed NPTC programs.