Enrollment is on the rise at Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State), where new
student enrollment has increased by 9% this fall compared to last fall, and some academic programs
have experienced year-over-year increases of up to 60%.
The greatest gains have been seen in some of M State’s most in-demand academic programs,
including year-over-year new student growth in:
Dental: 60%
Heath Sciences: 60%
IT and Cybersecurity: 50%
Nursing: 15%
Business: 13%
Not only are there more students enrolled at M State now than there were a year ago, but students
are also taking on higher credit loads, on average. Full-time enrollment at the college has risen by
5.8%.
“We’re all happy to be seeing more students in our hallways and classrooms again, and there’s a great
amount of energy on our campuses right now,” says M State President Carrie Brimhall. “We still have
more room to grow, but there’s a feeling among our staff and faculty that things are finally getting
back to where they were before the pandemic.”
Enrollment at M State – as at many other colleges in Minnesota – has been trending upward for the
past two years after more than a decade of enrollment declines that were exacerbated by the
pandemic. Higher education leaders view the recent increases as a sign of a return to normalcy;
students who postponed their college experience during the pandemic era, or who stopped out to
take advantage of a hot job market, are now venturing back into their educational goals.
Additional factors, like greater college affordability, flexible learning models and class schedules, and
high-quality academic programming, are also credited with driving enrollment back up – at M State
as well as other colleges and universities within the Minnesota State system, of which M State is a
part. A press release shared by the system earlier this month attributes the upward momentum to,
“initiatives focused on keeping the cost of college affordable for all Minnesotans while delivering
quality programming and instruction.”
Such initiatives at M State include a cutting-edge simulation training center for dental students,
which opened within the past two years, and similarly, a comprehensive simulation training center for
healthcare students, slated to open later this year. These unique centers offer the kind of high-tech,
hands-on training that students and employers prefer, and their development has likely contributed
to the double-digit enrollment increases these programs have seen since last fall.
Statewide, a new initiative that appears to be impacting enrollment is the North Star Promise (NSP)
scholarship program. This program provides free college tuition for Minnesota students with a family
Adjusted Gross Income below $80,000. The program was widely promoted last year and went into
effect this fall. It currently benefits about 12,000 students across the state.
At M State, 176 students are attending tuition-free this fall because of the NSP, and another 782
received partial funding through the program. All told, the NSP is saving M State students over
$580,000.
“I’d like to think it made a difference in enrollment,” says Sharlene Allen, M State’s director of
financial aid and records. “The promotion of having this scholarship option available could have
spurred some students to think more seriously about attending college, and, for Minnesota students,
to choose a school in Minnesota.”
About M State
A member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities, M State (Minnesota State
Community and Technical College) serves more than 10,000 students in credit and non-credit
courses each year in over 70 career and liberal arts programs online and in-person at its four
campuses in Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Moorhead and Wadena. The college also partners with
communities to provide workforce development services and other responsive training programs to
500 businesses and thousands of annual participants.
Minnesota State Community and Technical College is a member of the Minnesota State system and is an equal opportunity educator /
employer. Upon request, this information is available in alternative forma
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