Enrollment is down for Spring Quarter, but only slightly.

After five years of enrollment declines, spring 2022 is showing some improvements. As of April 5, the second day of the quarter, Highline had a head count of 7,007 students. The head count for day two of Spring Quarter 2021 was 6,602, while day 2 of Spring Quarter 2020 was 7,727. Precovid, day two of Spring Quarter 2019 had a head count of 7,701.

Peak enrollment at the end of Winter Quarter was 7,606. It is worth noting that enrollment typically drops as the year goes on, so this drop is expected.

But the numbers are closer to expectations for the start of spring than they were for the start of winter, college officials said. 

 “At this point in Winter Quarter ‘22 we were only at about 57.9 percent of our FTE for Winter Quarter enrollment for ’21,” said Dr. Teri Balkenende, the Social Sciences Division chair. “This Spring Quarter, we’re at 96.5 percent of where we were last year.  … So, not quite where we’d like to be yet, but still lots better.”

One measure of enrollment is full time equivalent students, which is up to 4,878. A full-time equivalent is how Highline and other colleges measure how many students would be enrolled if all credits were attributed to full time students. So if one student takes five credits, and if another student takes 10, then together they would be one full time equivalent.

So while Highline’s headcount is up compared to last year, the full-time equivalency is down, but still improving.

Running Start is down from a year ago, with a headcount of 1,157, and a full-time equivalency of 1,032.

But English Language Career and Academic Prep is the highest it’s been in five years at 1,345. Highline’s bachelor’s degree enrollment is also up, at 322 full time equivalents.

Continuing education is at 36 full-time equivalents, and worker retrainee students are at 85 full-time equivalents. International students are at 1,559 full-time equivalents.

Highline’s full time equivalency total for regular tuition-paying students is at 4,878.

Highline has launched a Strategic Enrollment Management plan to help accelerate the recovery process. The plan consists of three phases and will be taking action until June 2023, where Highline will be working with CampusWorks, an enrollment consultant.

Phase one, the discovery phase, is taking place in March and April 2022. This phase will consist of “Enrollment assessment, data analysis, recommendations and road map for short-term enrollment impact,” said Dr. John R. Mosby, president of Highline, in an e-mail to the campus.

Phase two is a development phase, where the process for enrollment will be improved based on priorities. This phase will run from May 2022 until August 2022.

“CampusWorks will use the results from phase I to work with the SEM Team to deliver a comprehensive student focused strategic enrollment plan covering enrollment goals that position the college to become student-ready,” said Dr. Mosby.

Phase three is the implementation phase, and will run from September 2022 until June 2023. 

“CampusWorks will provide consulting and coaching services to support the college with implementing the strategic enrollment management strategy and day-to-day operational work developed as part of phase II,” said Dr. Mosby.

Students say they are enrolled in spring to ensure they finish their degrees, and many say they are glad to be back on campus. 

“I can actually build connections,” said Justice Cappalonga about in-person classes. “In the online environment, you don’t get the fun element.”

“I feel like the information will stick better in person, it’s really interactive,” said Lynn Huang.

“I like to interact with more people, and I can ask more questions after class,” said Sophia Yoon.

“I’m trying to graduate with my AA, so trying to do classes every quarter is definitely going to help me in the long run. Plus, it feels more comfortable now that I know what’s going on,” Ren Cardenas said.

Highline students say the primary reason for returning to campus in-person for Spring Quarter is ultimately feeling tired of virtual classes. 

Almost every student said that they were taking at least one class in-person for Spring Quarter, such as Anthropology 100, English 101, algebra and political science. 

“School is just this computer thing,” said Highline student Victoriana Myronets. She described herself as a “people person,” with the desire of wanting class on campus to make connections with other students. 

Erika Gonzales said she is also “tired of doing classes online.” She said she is relieved to be doing school in person again. 

Student Shantay Brown said her scholarship requires her to have at least one class on campus for Spring Quarter. 

Some students said they are fine with online classes. The students who prefer online classes do so for a variety of reasons, but versatility is a big one.

“I hate commuting here,” said Harjeen Khosa.

“If I have work, it’s better online,” said Msgna Zeru.

In the end, the choices could just be about personal preference.

“I feel more comfortable at home,” said Halah Abduljawar.

Reporters Severiano Garcia, Jessica Cuevas and Kailie Nakaya contributed to this story.