More people enrolled at Hinds Community College this month, reflecting a national trend.

“It’s tough economic times,” said Hilton Dyar, dean of the Vicksburg-Warren Campus of the Raymond-based school.

Increases are across all disciplines as a lack of job availability contributes to people electing to gain more education.

Total enrollment for the spring semester at Hinds, the state’s largest community college, was 9,481, up nearly 4 percent over spring 2008 numbers.

The Vicksburg-Warren Campus on Mississippi 27 experienced nearly the same rate of growth, including more students taking part-time classes in trades such as electrical and construction.

“Traditionally, people do go back to school to increase their marketability,” Dyar said.

Classes swelled 8 percent over last spring at the Rankin campus in Pearl, the largest increase among its five campuses and the Jackson-based Nursing and Allied Health Center. The main campus at Raymond grew by 107 students, to 3,525.

Enrollment in Internet courses the school offers also shot up. Estimates as Friday’s online registration and class adjustment deadline passed totaled 2,237 Hinds students registered in the Mississippi Virtual Community College program — up more than 13 percent from last spring and 23.5 percent of Hinds’ overall enrollment.

“We have more students taking more hours, which is generally positive,” Dean of Enrollment Services Jay Allen said.

A consortium of 15 community colleges in Mississippi makes up the network of online classes, which can be taken by students anywhere in the state while attending another learning institution.

Community college funding includes tuition and the state supplement, determined by a formula using semester hours divided by 12. For fiscal 2009, per-student state funding will be $4,244.

*

Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com.

Hinds Community College Spring 2009 Enrollment

All campuses

Spring 2009……………………9,481

Spring 2008……………………9,121

% change………………………3.8

Vicksburg-Warren campus

Spring 2009……………………619

Spring 2008……………………592

% change……………………….4.4

Raymond campus

Spring 2009…………………..3,525

Spring 2008…………………..3,418

% change……………………………3

Rankin campus

Spring 2009……………………2,250

Spring 2008……………………2,107

% change………………………….6.4

Utica campus

Spring 2009……………………574

Spring 2008……………………556

% change……………………….3.1

Jackson Academic/Technical College

Spring 2009……………………1,601

Spring 2008……………………1,589

% change………………………….0.7

Nursing/Allied Health Center

Spring 2009……………………912

Spring 2008……………………859

% change……………………….5.8

Online class enrollment,

by number of students

Spring 2009…………………2,237

Spring 2008…………………1,943

% change…………………….13.1