Across Tennessee, community colleges are experiencing booming enrollments as the first wave of students accepted under the state’s free-tuition program, known as Tennessee Promise, cram into classrooms.
But while students are parking on the grass at Motlow State Community College’s Smyrna Center, where parking lots are full, some of the state’s four-year campuses have a lot of empty seats.
Freshman enrollment is down about 12 percent at the University of Tennessee at Martin and about 9 percent at its Chattanooga campus, according to preliminary estimates.
Several private colleges are also attributing enrollment declines at least in part to the free-tuition program, which has helped raise freshman enrollment across the state’s 13 community colleges by 14 percent this fall.
The Tennessee Promise program, which President Obama has touted as part of his push for free community college nationwide, covers tuition and fees for two years of community or technical college for every graduating high-school senior in the state. To qualify, students must attend full time, taking at least 12 credit hours per semester. They must also complete eight hours of community service and have a mentor.
As other states explore the idea of offering similar programs, they’re watching Tennessee’s enrollment patterns closely this fall for clues.
Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/article/Free-Community-College-Jolts/233109