From OWENS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Owens Community College continued to enroll new students at record pace for Spring Semester 2025, boosting the total enrollment to 7,396 at the 14th day census headcount date. The total enrollment represented a 6.7 percent increase over the Spring 2024 total of 6,929.
Owens enrolled 768 new students for Spring 2025, its most new students for the spring since enrolling 792 new students in 2017. All told, Owens enrolled 2,702 new students in the 2024-2025 academic year, a 24.4 increase over 2023-2024 (2,172). The 2023-2024 total represented a 4.4 increase over the 2022-2023 academic year total (2,081).
“It’s exciting to see new students taking advantage of what Owens offers, choosing career-focused degrees and certificates or starting on a university-transfer pathway,” said Dr. Blake Renner, Owens vice president of enrollment management and student affairs. “The new student enrollment growth from past semesters is making a difference in our overall enrollment. As these new students persist toward their educational goals, we are observing our overall enrollment counts increase which is exactly what we want to see both for the college and for the students.”
In 2024, Owens completed a reorganization of the Student Affairs division to better assist students, including the creation of a Re-Engagement Office focused on re-enrolling students who previously stopped out. For Spring 2025, returning student enrollment increased 34.3 percent (314 students compared to 234 in Spring 2024). A returning student has an enrollment history at Owens but has not attended for the previous two semesters.
College Credit Plus enrollment totaled 1,724 students compared to 1,415 in Spring 2024 (21.8 percent increase). The Student Affairs division has dedicated staff working with the high school student population to assist in the process of earning college credit while still in high school.
“We have continued to focus on our processes that support our students,” Renner said. “We are better positioned to assist students from their first day at Owens. We have created a consistent student experience from the point of initial interest all the way to graduation.”
An enrollment census occurs each semester on the 14th day after classes begin, which was Monday, January 27 for Spring 2025. Owens will continue to enroll students throughout the semester for classes that begin at different starting dates.
