Hudson County Community College’s Spring 2025 Enrollment Up Significantly Year-Over-Year

HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber explains that “Students are choosing HCCC for its affordable tuition, high-quality academic programming, and multitude of educational opportunities that provide clear and proven pathways to fulfilling careers that pay family-sustaining wages.”

The College continues to meet students where they are by expanding access to educational opportunities in new and innovative ways. In collaboration with New Jersey’s Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) and an adult learner initiative with Jobs for the Future and Achieving the Dream, the College is focused on the recruitment and retention of adult learners, specifically students who previously attended HCCC but did not complete a credential.

Elsewhere, HCCC’s Early College program offers a growing number of ambitious Hudson County high school students the opportunity for a head start on their college careers by enabling them to take college classes at HCCC at reduced tuition while still attending high school. In 2023-24, the College significantly expanded its partnership with the Hudson County Schools of Technology. For the first time, all students, beginning with those enrolled in the ninth grade, were able to pursue an Associate Degree through dual enrollment. The enrollment increase is also due to continued degree-seeking cohorts from Bayonne and Kearny High Schools, who now have students in all four years of high school pursuing Associate Degrees. Early college enrollment is up 28.9% year-over-year, highlighting the growing interest in this exciting program. Across all local high schools, there are now approximately 250 students on an HCCC degree pathway.

Higher retention has also played a major role in increased enrollment. The College’s nationally recognized, award-winning Hudson Scholars program continues to promote student success and positively impact the retention of students through a holistic approach that includes proactive academic advising and student support, financial stipends, high-impact educational experiences, and early academic intervention.

HCCC is also home to a large and growing number of online courses and fully online programs that give busy students the choices and flexibility they need to pursue their educational goals. The College now offers over 180 online and hybrid course offerings, and 21 fully online programs, with five additional fully online programs in development.

All fields of study experienced an uptick in HCCC enrollment, and fields like Business, and Nursing and Health Sciences experienced particularly significant increases. Enrollment in Business classes is up 14% from last year, while Nursing and Health Sciences experienced an 18.5% increase in enrollment. Today’s students are pursuing degrees that lead directly to clearly defined career paths, whether in accounting, nursing, radiography, or beyond. Each year, HCCC serves over 10,000 students in credit programs and an additional 10,000 students in noncredit programs leading to a variety of industry-recognized credentials.

President Reber summed it up by stating, “The remarkable growth in our enrollment speaks to the dedication of our faculty and staff, the quality of our academic programs, and the trust that our students and our community place in HCCC. We are committed to continuing this momentum by providing accessible, high-quality education that transforms lives, bolsters our workforce, and strengthens our local economy.”