TC Reports Enrollment Increase for Fall 2016

TC students enjoy Fall Fest, an annual outdoor gathering where students can join student clubs and organizations. Preliminary numbers show an increase in enrollment at Texarkana College.

At a Texarkana College Board of Trustees meeting last week, Dr. Donna McDaniel, TC Vice President of Instruction, reported that TC’s fall enrollment is up by more than 130 students over last year’s fall numbers.

“Our enrollment is continuing to increase year after year,” McDaniel said. “We believe this is a direct result of our faculty and staff working hard to build a college-going culture in our region and ensure that students have access to quality, affordable higher education options here at TC. More and more students are seeing the outstanding value of attending a community college and are choosing to save thousands of dollars over typical tuition rates at four-year universities.”

McDaniel also reported that dual credit enrollment is trending up, with preliminary reports showing 1,715 high school students are taking dual credit courses this fall.

“We have seen a steady increase of high school students taking advantage of getting a head start on their college career by earning dual credit,” McDaniel said. “This option is saving students thousands of dollars and valuable time when it comes to completing a degree. Whether a student is interested in learning a skill that is a fast-track to a career path such as a culinary or cosmetology certificate, for example; or, if students want to earn academic credit to transfer to a university, dual credit is the answer for both.”

McDaniel said enrollment numbers are still preliminary and have not yet been certified by the state. However, current reports show a total of 4,287 students enrolled at TC this fall with close to 500 of these students entering college for the first time. This number includes 1,715 dual credit students from 15 high schools including nine school districts in Bowie County, five school districts in Cass County, and one in Red River County. Fall enrollment numbers do not reflect number of students registered in TC’s continuing education professional academies, which include Fire Academy, Professional Driving Academy, and EMT training courses, which are also seeing increased enrollment.