LEWISTON, Idaho – Despite a pandemic and dire enrollment predictions and realities across the nation, more students are choosing Lewis-Clark State College for their higher education needs, according to official Oct. 15 census day numbers. LC State’s overall enrollment this fall grew by 2.88 percent, while its full-time equivalent enrollment inched up 0.26 percent.
Overall, LC State has 3,856 students enrolled, the third most in school history and most since 3,924 students attended in 2016. It’s the second straight year the college has seen an uptick in overall headcount, after increasing 1.7 percent last year.
College administrators say the bulk of the increase is due to a surge in dual credit students choosing LC State. The college’s dual credit enrollment, composed of high school students taking college courses, climbed 24 percent, an increase of 217 students.
LC State’s Coeur d’Alene campus also saw a healthy increase of 7 percent.
“We are excited that even in these times of unprecedented challenges, students are trusting Lewis-Clark State College to deliver a quality education experience that keeps them moving toward their goals,” LC State President Cynthia Pemberton said. “While most of the enrollment increase is in dual credit and doesn’t have a significant impact on our financial challenges, it is encouraging to see that more and more students know who we are and recognize that our programs are exceptional, our service is second-to-none, and our care for each individual student is real.”
Once again, the majority of LC State’s enrollment is first generation, climbing from 76 percent to 78 percent of the student body, the highest among Idaho’s four-year institutions. A total of 82 percent of the college’s students receive financial aid, also the highest among the four-year schools.
LC State has students from 41 of Idaho’s 44 counties, from 25 states, and from 23 countries, despite seeing international enrollment drop from 61 to 38 per national trends.
President Pemberton will share additional enrollment details and other LC State highlights during her institutional progress report to the Idaho State Board of Education on Wednesday morning. The presentation will be available live on the State Board’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/idsboe.