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HCCC passes enrollment milestone

Hudson County Community College broke the 7,000 student barrier this September, creeping past this historic milestone by 19 students, officials announced this week.

“This is a very significant development for the college and a 10 percent increase over our enrollment numbers last year,” said board of trustees Chairman William J. Netchert.

Paula P. Adelhoch, vice president for student affairs, credited the enrollment surge to “consumer savvy.”

At $82 per credit, most HCCC students will be charged around $5,300 for their two-year degrees, but more than 80 percent of the students receive financial aid, Adelhoch said.

In contrast, a local private four-year college is charging $400 per credit, she said.

“What we’re seeing is consumers doing the math and choosing us,” Adelhoch said.

The 37-year-old college is also focusing on growth industries, such as the medical field, Adelhoch said. For example, 182 students are enrolled in the school’s Cooperative Nursing Program, a 17 percent increase since 2003, she said.

And there are other medical specialties at the school, including paramedic science, medical assistant training, licensed practical nurse, and health science, she said.

Several other program enrollments have exploded, she said.

The accounting program is up 56 percent since 2003, to 150 students. Associate of arts and business enrollment is up 93 percent to 432 students. And the college’s popular culinary arts program, which has a new building on Newkirk Street, is up 44 percent to 317 students, she said.

The institution’s goal is: 10,000 students enrolled within the next five years, Adelhoch said.

The college, based in Jersey City, rents space in West New York, and also plans to break ground on a new campus in Union City next spring.

Source: News Jersey Journal, more info at https://www.nj.com/jjournal/.

Full article at: http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1190613660215700.xml&coll=3

–Associated Press



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