A single phrase echoed time and again at Thursday’s college fair at Vicksburg High School: What kind of scholarships do you offer?

In a time of bad economy, parents are finding that sending their students to college is more of a struggle than they expected.

“It takes more money to live each day,” said Mary June Cooksey whose son, Kurt Cooksey, will graduate from VHS in the spring. “It will definitely have a bearing on the college we choose.”

“We’re having to search for more outside scholarships and those are few and far between,” said Candy Thompson, whose son, Lonell Mack, will also graduate from VHS in the spring. “Requirements for scholarships are going up because so many people want them and that ends up meaning people have to take out more loans — that is what is really hurting. We need everything we can get. It’s not good.”

Despite the obvious need for financial assistance, one thing was clear in the determined crowd: tough times are not going to keep them out of school.

In fact, Hinds Community College Vicksburg Campus faculty members said they actually have seen an increase in enrollment as the economy has steadily declined while area high school guidance counselors said they have seen no change.

“Traditionally, going by past experience over the years, when the economy is good and there are jobs everywhere people go to work and when the economy is sliding people will go back to school to improve their education to try to make themselves more marketable,” said HCC Vicksburg Dean Hilton Dyar. “Most folks in the career tech education area have noticed and observed that over the years. The welding program, for example, on the Raymond campus has become a full evening class again because day classes are full. It’s just people trying to gain a skill to move up in the world.”

Despite the rising trend in local college enrollment, St. Aloysius guidance counselor Mary Buckley said she has seen no change in the number of students applying over recent years.

“We have 58 students in the senior class, which is large for us, and I have been sending out more early transcripts,” said Buckley. “I think it’s due to the housing crunch at the state schools; the earlier they put their applications in, the higher they’ll be on the list. There really hasn’t been more, they’re just earlier, so I really can’t say I’m seeing a difference.”

Missy Tello, a guidance counselor at VHS, said she hasn’t  noticed a trend throughout the years and enrollment simply depends on each class.

At VHS 49 percent of the class of 2006 sent out transcripts to colleges. The next year a staggering 87 percent of Gator seniors did the same. In 2008 the number was back down to 59 percent.

“We just never know what a class’ percentage is going to be,” Tello said. “It’s still too early in the year to tell about this class. Somewhere around March they’ll realize their friends are getting scholarships and they’ll wake up and start working on it. It’ll become more real to them as the year goes along.”

Throughout Mississippi, enrollment is down at five of the eight state universities. Mississippi State has grown by 800 students this year, making it the largest university in Mississippi, beating the University of Mississippi for the first time in four years. Ole Miss is up 278 students from a year ago.

Within the Warren County School District, the number of graduates attending college has stayed steady at around 72 percent.