Officials say RCBC has now achieved growth in the spring 2017 and fall 2017 terms.
Burlington County Freeholder Linda Hughes and Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) acting president Michael Cioce have announced that the college’s enrollment increased 5 percent this fall, compared to the fall of 2016.
Officials attribute the increase to the transformation of the college’s Mt. Laurel Campus, now the college’s main campus, and the college’s 3+1 program, which allows students to remain at RCBC for their junior-year for credits toward a Rowan University bachelor’s degree.
Officials say there are more than 200 students taking junior-year courses as 3+1 students this term, with another 220 students who are committed to begin their courses in a future term. More than 400 additional students have expressed interest in the program. According to the college, RCBC is the only community college in this region of the country offering junior-year courses.
“Our innovative 3+1 program at RCBC that we established last year is clearly having an immediate impact in our county and region; students can now earn a high-quality, four-year degree for $25,000, less than what many colleges charge for a single year,” Hughes said. “In a time when college is becoming less and less affordable for middle-class families, our 3+1 program is literally putting higher education within the reach of thousands of more Burlington County students and their families.”
According to the college, RCBC’s growth this fall is fueled largely by increases in new students (3 percent), transfer students (6.1 percent), full-time students (7 percent), and students who remain at RCBC from the spring term (6.7 percent).
Officials say RCBC has now achieved growth in the spring 2017 and fall 2017 terms.
“As Freeholder liaison to Rowan College at Burlington County, and a former RCBC trustee, it is extremely exciting to see the continued growth of the college,” Hughes said. “RCBC’s sustained enrollment increase is yet another opportunity to celebrate the successful partnership of the Burlington County Freeholder Board and the college. RCBC is a national example of how a college can transform itself and grow at a time when most colleges in the country are experiencing declines.”
In less than two years from design to completion, officials say the Freeholder Board and RCBC have transformed the Mt. Laurel Campus from a satellite facility to a full-service campus. Officials say the newly opened Student Success Center and Health Sciences Center give students the tools and resources they need to succeed in the classroom and be successful after graduation in the workforce.
“We want to earn the reputation for being a student’s top choice, and these enrollment data show we have become the best option for many students, thanks to initiatives such as 3+1 and the improved campus experience in Mt. Laurel,” Cioce said. “We are very humbled by every student who chooses Rowan College at Burlington County. We’re so thrilled that so many believe in the direction of our college and I congratulate them on their pursuit of high-quality and affordable education.”
