Illinois Central College Announces Significant Increase in Enrollment for Fall Semester

by Amanda Lewis

East Peoria, IL (08/22/2024) — Illinois Central College (ICC) recently announced an increase in opening day enrollment for the fall 2024 semester. As of August 19, the first day of class, ICC had 8,008 students enrolled, an increase of 5.1% from fall 2023. The college also saw students enroll in 2,416 more credit hours than last year, a 3.8% increase.

Enrollment at ICC has experienced growth across all student populations, including a 10% increase in students of color. The growth in the number of students of color represented the College's largest increase in enrollment.

New programs ICC introduced this fall to meet the needs of local businesses are partially responsible for the increase in enrollment. ICC worked with employers in the region to identify gaps in the workforce and created construction management, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence programs to help individuals earn the credentials they need to fill these jobs. ICC also significantly increased outreach efforts to community-based organizations.

ICC President Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey said, "We are excited to welcome so many new students to ICC, and we look forward to supporting them throughout their educational journeys. Our focus is the success of our students whether they plan to transfer to a university or earn a credential with labor market value. This upward trend in enrollment is encouraging and indicates the work we have done over the last several years to remove barriers to student engagement, completion, transfer, and employment is paying off."

Official enrollment numbers will be reported by the Illinois Community College Board in early September.

###

Illinois Central College is a two-year community college with campuses in East Peoria, Peoria and Pekin, Illinois, providing a high-quality, affordable education to prepare students to enter the workforce or to transfer to a four-year institution. ICC is the 2020 awardee of the National Community College Charles Kennedy Equity Award from ACCT, a 2022 EDA Good Job Challenge Institution, and the Lead College for the state of Illinois' Workforce Equity Initiative. ICC also conducts original research in agricultural fields, including water quality and soil conservation. For more information, visit icc.edu.

Media Attachments