BSC Enrollment Down, Expecting Future Growth

| 9/19/2012

The official fourth week enrollment numbers from Bismarck State College shows a decrease of over six percent. The report shows that 4,109 students are enrolled, which is a decrease of 6.4 percent from last year.

According to President Larry C. Skogen, the numbers are not unexpected. He said that last year`s increase of five percent was historic and that type of increase is hard to sustain.

BSC says that two key factors are affecting their enrollment: lack of housing for students and the strong job market.

"We certainly want all students to choose education over immediate job gratification, but like everyone else in North Dakota, BSC is being affected by our economy," Skogen said. "While we continue to communicate the benefits of education to prospective students, we have a bit more control over our student housing situation."

The school is conducting a housing feasibility study, and they say that early indicators point toward the construction of a new residence hall. According to BSC, their on-campus housing is fully occupied and the waiting list for the past four years has ranged from 20 to 120 students.

BSC plans on beginning the process for approval for new student housing this fall.

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