Marion Technical College sees second year of record enrollment
Community colleges are leading the way with the increase in enrollment in higher education, and Marion Technical College is no exception.
This fall semester, a record 3,488 students are enrolled at Marion Tech. This breaks the record enrollment last spring of 3,226 students. It is a nearly 12% increase over fall 2023 and a 23% increase over fall 2022. This is up 63% over fall 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic reduced college enrollment nationwide.
“Students and their families are savvy shoppers. They want a quality, affordable, convenient education that leads to well-paying careers or advancement. Marion Tech is the smart choice,” said Dr. Amy Adams, executive vice president of Planning, Advancement and Student Engagement at Marion Tech, in a news release. “We serve a variety of local students who find Marion Tech the best way to get ahead without incurring debt.”
Marion Tech’s student body includes 1,894 middle and high school students earning college credit at no cost through the College Credit Plus program. Some have earned one-year certificates or associate degrees before graduating from high school.
The college also serves 1,247 more traditional students, from those recently graduated from high school to working parents and grandparents ready to get ahead who appreciate online options and evening classes. The college also serves 347 students in prisons.
Various degree options at Marion Tech
Students can earn a short-term certificate in a few classes, a one-year certificate, an associate degree or even three or four years of a bachelor's degree in nursing. Full-time tuition is $6,000 a year ? less than a fifth of the cost of tuition, room and board at state universities or a fraction of a cost of a private university. Marion Tech also offers many Open Educational Resources, where materials are free to students.
A Pell grant covers the cost of tuition at Marion Tech. There also are a number of grants, scholarships and work-study programs to reduce the cost of tuition.
With a number of transfer partnerships, Marion Tech can continue their education with two or even three years of their bachelor’s degree completed, reducing the cost by half or more. Many colleges also offer special scholarships just for Marion Tech’s graduates as well as discounts on tuition.
Degrees that can lead to well-paying fields of work
In addition, Marion Tech offers degrees leading to growing, well-paying fields including physical therapist assistants, occupational therapy assistant, engineering techs, sonography, software developers and cyber security professionals.
“With an investment of two years and $12,000, you can enter a field that pays more than $60,000. Some health care fields are also offering signing bonuses of $5,000 to $10,000 or more,” Adams said.
Fall classes started Monday. Shorter eight-week classes start in October.
For more information, go to mtc.edu, email [email protected], call 740-389-4636 or schedule an appointment at visit.mtc.edu.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion Technical College reports record enrollment for Fall 2024
