Official fall enrollment up 15.9% at Ozarks Technical Community College

The student population at Ozarks Technical Community College continues to grow, with more than 12,884 students enrolled for the fall 2009 semester, up 15.9 percent from last fall.  The largest growth is at the College’s Waynesville Education Center, which welcomed 203 students this semester, an increase of 81.3 percent.  Enrollment is up more than 12 percent at the Springfield campus, with 8,788 students taking classes this fall.

“As we have continued to grow as an institution, our student population has also grown, and we are working hard to meet the needs of each student,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, president of the College.  “However, with state funding continuing to diminish, there is little we can do to alleviate our physical capacity issues, particularly at the Springfield campus.”

The Richwood Valley campus in Christian County has 1,050 students enrolled, an increase of nearly 26 percent.  An additional 274 students are taking courses at both the Springfield and Richwood Valley locations, up 28.6 percent from the fall of 2008.  Online enrollment is up nearly 32 percent, with 1,505 students taking the majority of their classes online.  The Branson Education Center is up by almost 14 percent, with 406 students enrolled.  The College’s Lebanon Education Center is serving 462 students this semester, up nearly 15 percent from last fall.