Since 2010, North Carolina community colleges have experienced declining enrollments — although there have been some exceptions, including a 6% enrollment bump in 2019. But by fall 2020, enrollment across the system had fallen 11%, with the pandemic largely to blame. Almost 15 years of data shows that population shifts could be a major factor contributing to enrollment decline. Bill Schneider, associate vice president of research and performance management at the system office, said that enrollment shifts at North Carolina community colleges have largely aligned with population shifts.
