RVCC 2019 NECHE Self-Study

CCSNH continues to see declines in enrollment characteristic of the New England region. Although
there is no immediate impact to student success efforts, and financial impact to fiscal years 2019 and
2020 is largely offset by the increase to tuition and conservative budgeting. Continued enrollment
decline is something CCSNH is fiercely combating going into the Spring, and, ultimately, into the next
academic year
The graphs on the left represent enrollment and credits activity data, excluding Running
Start students, as that is still very much in flux. Three primary factors influence
enrollment:
1. Unemployment rate. CCSNH enrollment is countercyclical with economic performance –
the stronger the economy, the lower our enrollment. For the last six months, NH has had
an unemployment rate of 2.7 percent, which has meant more people opting for jobs
instead of continuing education.
2. Diminishing high school graduating class size. In the last five years, NH high school
graduates decreased approximately nine percent, which leads to a decrease in total
applicants to CCSNH.
3. Increasing competition from local universities, including those offering associate degree
programs, like Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) advantage, as well as
increased attention by four years to affordability.
181 | P a g e