Black Enrollments on the Rise at Connecticut’s Community Colleges

New data from the Connecticut Community College System shows that there are nearly 47,000 students enrolled at the system’s 12 campuses. The system has had eight straight years of enrollment growth.

The study found that minority students are fueling the growth in total enrollments. Since 2002, minority enrollments are up 13 percent, with Hispanic women accounting for the largest increase. Enrollments of black women are up 10 percent since 2002 and black male enrollments have increased by 5 percent. More than 60 percent of all minority students in Connecticut’s state-operated colleges and universities are now enrolled at two-year community colleges.

There are now more than 7,200 black students at Connecticut community colleges. They make up 15.5 percent of the total enrollments. Blacks are about 9 percent of the Connecticut population.

Black women make up two thirds of all African-American enrollments at Connecticut community colleges.

Copyright © 2006. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.