HELENA — Carroll College is reporting a growth in enrollment for their, its largest class since the beginning of the pandemic.
The private Catholic institution says the class of 2026 includes 296 new first-year students – a 5% increase over last year and a 10% increase over 2020.
“What is particularly encouraging about these numbers is that Carroll is bucking the national trends that indicate that many colleges and universities are experiencing diminishing enrollment of 5-10%,” said Carroll College President John Cech. “Being able to show positive enrollment growth during a time when higher education is still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, demonstrates that Carroll continues to be a very attractive choice for students.”
Carroll’s nursing, biology, business, health sciences and anthrozoology programs have seen the strongest interest from the incoming class.
Caroll saw a 12.5 percent decline in students from the Fall 2019 semester to the Fall 2020 semester. The global pandemic is believed to have been the primary cause for the decline in enrolment in 2020 for not just Carroll, but a majority of higher education institutions across the United States.
Adding in transfer students and re-admitted students, students who took time off and are now returning to Carroll, the total number of new undergraduate students enrolled this fall is 345.
Currently, Carroll College’s total enrollment is 1,180 students which represents a 3% year-over-year growth and a 5% increase over the past two years.
Carroll also has a significant international student presence on campus this fall. The college currently has 23 exchange and degree-seeking international students representing 20 countries including Austria, France, Malawi, Chile, Norway, Japan, Mexico, Egypt, Germany, South Africa, Ethiopia, Denmark, Israel, Argentina, Lebanon, Brazil, Spain, Iceland, China, and Serbia/Turkey.
“We have a lot to be proud of at Carroll. I am grateful to the staff and faculty who have worked very hard to bring this wonderful new class of students to Carroll and to the community of Helena. With new programs and partnerships in the works, we are well positioned for continued growth and will continue building on the strong foundation we have in place,” said Cech.
