After three years of record enrollment, the number of students attending Georgia's technical colleges dropped by more than 12,000 this fall and leaders say a reduced HOPE scholarship is partly to blame.
Technical College System of Georgia officials are still analyzing the data. But with about 75 percent of the system's students receiving HOPE, the state-funded scholarship program's influence can not be underestimated.
Lawmakers overhauled HOPE last spring, decreasing the aid students receive to keep the program viable for future recipients. Tens of thousands of 4-year college students arrived on campus this fall on the hook for hundreds of dollars in tuition, books and mandatory fees HOPE once covered. Now, the reduction in HOPE benefits are being felt on technical college campuses.
Technical colleges charge $75 a credit and HOPE provides $60.75. While the out-of-pocket expense may seem small, technical college students tend to be older adults with families to support.
"Once students got the bill and saw what they had to come up with some didn't have the money and it scared them off," Commissioner Ron Jackson said Tuesday. "To be honest, I thought we would have had a bigger decline."
The 12 percent drop in enrollment can't be attributed just to the scholarship and grant program. The system anticipated fewer students because of a system-wide switch from quarters to semesters that went into effect this fall.
The system is teaching 103,762 students, a decrease of 12.4 percent from last year, according to the seven-day enrollment count. Jackson thought enrollment would drop by as much as 30 percent because of the schedule and HOPE changes. When the University System of Georgia switched from quarters to semesters in 1998, enrollment dropped by about 3 percent.
During debates on revamping HOPE, Gov. Nathan Deal acknowledged that a reduced award would create some hardships. He and other lawmakers said changes were needed because the program was on track to run out of money by 2013.
Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said HOPE remains an "unparalleled" scholarship and keeps college affordable. The drop suggest the economy is improving, he said.
Technical colleges enroll more students during a weak economy because the unemployed and underemployed return to school in search of new skills and careers. Enrollment grew by about one-third between 2008 and 2011. While Georgia's unemployment remains high, it could be that there are not as many newly unemployed people looking to return to school, Jackson said.
"We were expecting a leveling off at some point," Jackson said. "It is difficult sustaining that kind of growth. We needed a breather."
While enrollment dropped, the number of credit hours students take increased by almost 9 percent. Campuses, such as Chattahoochee Technical College based in Marietta, aired commercials, used social media and held contests to encourage students to take more classes so they could graduate quicker.
Jackson said some may have taken more courses so they would be full-time students and qualify for a full Pell Grant, a federal aid program for low-income students.
Students could be loading up on credits to graduate before a new GPA requirement kicks in after the fall semester, Jackson said. As part of the HOPE overhaul technical college students will be required to maintain a 3.0 GPA -- a rule that already applies to students in the University System.
The University System will release enrollment figures in November. Enrollment is projected to increase, but at a slower rate than previous years. While the University of Georgia enrolled about 500 more freshmen than expected, some campuses may see a drop.
Technical College Enrollment
Enrollment at the Technical College System of Georgia's 25 colleges dropped this fall. Here are figures from local colleges:
College ... Fall 2011 ... Fall 2010 ... Percent change
Atlanta Technical ... 4,692 ... 5,061 ... -7.3%
Chattahoochee Technical ... 11,486 ... 12,991 ... -11.6%
DeKalb Technical ... 4,340 ... 4,856 ... -10.6%
Gwinnett Technical ... 6,663 ... 7,098 ... -6.1%
System total ... 103,762 ... 118,479 ... -12.4%
Source: Technical College System of Georgia, seven-day enrollment count.
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