(Columbus, OH) Community college enrollment is up across Ohio for the first time since 2010.
Just under 165,000 students are enrolled at Ohio's community colleges, up about two percent over last year-- for the first time in several years.
Cost-conscious college students are seeking cheaper tuition rates to start their higher education and many community colleges are enrolling high school students because of the state's free College Credit Plus program. About 54,000 high school students took community college classes in 2015-16, about a third of the enrollment total. That number has jumped by more than 10,000 students this academic year.
Numbers were large right after the Great Recession as people sought sought additional training and education-- but those numbers have fallen since the economy has recovered.