Summer Term enrollment at BCCC sets record | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    The number of students enrolled at Beaufort County Community College for the Summer Term has set a record with an increase in the number of online courses credited for most of that jump, college officials announced this week.

    "Our enrollment growth is a reflection of the hard work by our administration, faculty and staff in meeting the needs of our students throughout our service area," said BCCC President Barbara Tansey.

    The increase in courses offered via the Internet is part of BCCC's effort to reach students in more distant parts of BCCC's 2,008-square-mile service area, Dr. Tansey said.

    With 41 percent of students in BCCC's online classes living more than 15 miles from BCCC, the enrollment in those classes this summer shows that students are taking advantage of online classes without having to drive a great distance to attend class, she said.

    Enrollment in classes at BCCC for the Summer Term 2013 is up more than 55 percent over the previous year with 590 students taking classes at the college this summer as compared to 379 for the Summer Term 2012.

    Statistics show a near 300 percent growth in the number of students enrolled exclusively in online classes compared to the previous summer term, a 32 percent growth in the number of students enrolled in some online and some classroom-based classes and an 18 percent decline in the number of students enrolled exclusively in traditional classes.

    All of the college's online courses are at maximum enrollment, according to college data.

    Online courses are particularly popular with first-time students. At BCCC, there are 124 first-time students enrolled exclusively in online classes this summer as compared to 34 last summer, according to college data.

    "Beaufort County Community College increased the number of online courses because our students asked for them," said Vice President of Academics Crystal Ange. "The world of education is changing and we want our students to be able to take advantage of these changes."

    "Online courses are popular because students can work within their schedules - they can be home with their children or work and attend college at their convenience," she said.

    BCCC hopes to offer "at least two to three" of its programs totally via the Internet by Fall Semester 2014, she said.


    Beaufort County Community College is a public comprehensive community college committed to accessible and affordable quality education, effective teaching, relevant training, and lifelong learning opportunities for the people served by the College.