HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Wallace State Community College is experiencing record enrollment for the Fall 2024 semester, with 6,473 students registered, besting the previous record fall enrollment of 6,391, which occurred more than a decade ago in fall 2010.
Wallace State has seen a steady increase in enrollment over the last four years, overcoming a decline during the pandemic. Enrollment to date for the fall 2024 semester is a 450-student increase from the fall 2023 semester, more than 500 more than Fall 2022 enrollment and more than 1,500 over fall 2021 enrollment.
The college has also seen an increase in credit hours over the last year, with 57,388 recorded credit hours in fall 2024, compared to 54,109 in fall 2023, an increase of 3,369 credit hours.
Those numbers may still increase as registration is underway for the Fall 2024 Mini Term II, which begins Oct. 16. Mini terms for fall and spring are taught in eight weeks and allow students to complete courses in an accelerated time frame.
“We are thrilled to announce a record increase in enrollment this semester at Wallace State,” said Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Karolewics. “The significant growth in student enrollment is a testament to the quality of our programs, our dedication to student success and the strategic efforts we’ve put in place to meet the evolving needs of our community and to empower our students to achieve their goals. I want to personally thank our faculty, staff, students and community for their commitment to Wallace State.”
The fall 2010 enrollment was directly connected to an increase in unemployment at that time, as the rise in community college enrollments nationwide have historically been correlated with high levels of unemployment when individuals are out of work and seek retraining. At the height of that recession in 2010, unemployment rates in Alabama rose to rates that ranged from 8.9-11.1%. This year, the current record enrollment is not related to unemployment, which stands at a near historic low of 2.8% in the state. Instead, enrollment can be attributed to the area’s population growth, new programs, the rise of dual enrollment and Wallace State’s reputation for quality in education.
Wallace State was recently named a top 10 finalist for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The winner will receive a $1 million award in recognition of strong performance among community colleges. The institutions selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success, as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds.
