NICEVILLE, Florida — Northwest Florida State College is reporting an increase of just over 5 percent in year-over-year fall enrollment.
“Northwest Florida State College is pleased to announce an increase in our enrollment compared to the same period last year,” said Dr. Sasha Jarrell, NWFSC interim president. “We believe this increase demonstrates an outstanding effort by our team to serve our students. I am confident and excited about the future of Northwest Florida State College.”
The college is also ranked No. 27 among the nation’s best two-year colleges for adult learners (non-traditional students age 25 and up) in the 2016 Washington Monthly College Guide.
For 11 years, Washington Monthly has released rankings for colleges and universities based on three metrics: social mobility, research and public service. For the first time, the 2016 rankings have included new data and metrics from the Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System survey and the Department’s new College Scorecard Database.
“We are honored to receive this distinction by the Washington Monthly,” said Jarrell. “Our college prides itself on working with our non-traditional student population, which is currently 38.6 percent of our overall enrollment. We understand that outside the classroom, many students have family responsibilities, serve in the military and/or maintain full-time jobs. It’s our goal to meet the unique needs of all students by offering flexible course options, free tutoring and academic success support, career development and job placement services. Northwest Florida State College is committed to the success of our students and the achievement of their individualized educational goals.”
Washington Monthly used the following metrics in this inaugural ranking for adult/non-traditional students: ease of transfer/enrollment, flexibility of programs, services available for non-traditional learners, percentage of non-traditional learners at the college, mean earnings of non-traditional students ten years after entering college, loan repayment rates of adult learners five years after entering repayment, and tuition and fees for in-district students. All rankings are a sum of each measure for the top 100 colleges in each sector. NWF State College received the highest number of points available in the areas of ease of transfer credits and services for non-traditional learners.
Only five other colleges from the Florida College System were included in the rankings. NWF State College ranked the highest among the Florida colleges on the adult/non-traditional learners list.
For more information on the 2016 Washington Monthly College Guide, visit www.WashingtonMonthly.com/college_guide/.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: NWF State College has increased enrollment, earns award