The Iowa Department of Education’s latest data on enrollment trends at Iowa’s 15 community colleges show overall positive growth, returning to pre-pandemic levels for both student enrollment and number of credit hours.

The 2025 Fall Enrollment Report indicates total enrollment at community colleges increased by 1,937 students from last year. This represents a 2.2% climb in the overall number of students enrolled this fall at 88,530 total students. Comparatively, the pre-pandemic enrollment total was 88,375 students, providing a benchmark for this year’s positive fall enrollment data trends.

Registered credit hours for community college students increased at a higher rate of 2.9% this year, with 742,230 total credit hours compared to 721,586 credit hours in 2024. On average, students enrolled in 8.4 credit hours in the fall semester.

“Iowa’s 15 community colleges have shown remarkable resilience and an unwavering commitment to postsecondary education and training opportunities for students and local employers across the state,” said Amy Gieseke, chief for the Department’s Bureau of Community Colleges. “With the continued growth in enrollment and credit hours seen this fall, Iowa has made a successful return to pre-pandemic levels, a clear signal that more students are investing in the future, pursuing their career dreams through multiple pathways and strengthening the state’s talent pipeline.”

Growth within total enrollment and student credit hours can be attributed in part to strong joint enrollment opportunities in Iowa, which allow high school students to earn high school and college credits simultaneously. This fall, 42,896 high school students participated in joint enrollment courses, which represents nearly a 5% increase from 2024. Additionally, high school students enrolled in 227,639 credit hours this year compared to 215,003 in 2024, which is a growth of close to 6%. Students participating in joint enrollment programs accounted for 48.5% of total enrollment, and 30.7% of all credit hours.

“Access to concurrent enrollment opportunities has a tremendous impact on community college enrollment as well as postsecondary learning for students,” Gieseke said. “With nearly 43,000 high school students across the state taking advantage of concurrent enrollment courses, Iowa is leading the way in postsecondary readiness, providing high-quality opportunities for students to earn college credits, experience the rigor and feel of college-level courses and explore which pathway is right for them.”

Overall enrollment of 29,588 full-time students represents an increase of 2.7% this fall, ending a trending decline since 1973. Part-time student enrollment also saw an increase of 2% in 2025, with community colleges reporting a total of 58,942 part-time students compared to 57,774 in 2004. Part-time students represent a substantial 66.7% of the total 2025 fall enrollment.

A complete overview of this year’s fall enrollment and community college student demographic data can be found in the 2025 Fall Enrollment Report. Specific questions on the 2025 data can be directed to Amy Gieseke at amy.gieseke@iowa.gov or Vlad Bassis at vladimir.bassis@iowa.gov.