The Northern Marianas College announced yesterday that in its effort to accommodate more enrollees, it has decided to extend the registration period to another week.
Enrollment for Fall 2012 semester was supposed to end last Aug. 19. It is now extended until Aug. 24 at 4pm.
Throughout the extended registration period, only students who have completed admission requirements and have taken the English and math placement tests will be eligible to register.
Records as of yesterday show that the institution recorded a total of 1,191 full-time equivalent students during the first week of registration. Compared to the record obtained from NMC president Sharon Y. Hart last Friday, the figure shows an increase from 1,155 FTE recorded as of Thursday.
Last Friday, Dr. Hart provided a report to the board indicating that NMC recorded a total of 976 FTEs in the first four days of the weeklong registration for Fall 2011 semester compared to 1,155 recorded for Fall 2012 enrollees in the first four days of the registration period-or about 19 percent hike.
Hart, at the same time, told the Board of Regents Friday that the college, based on initial records, is anticipating a huge spike in enrollment. She said when this happens, this calls for re-assessment of its finances and re-structuring of some classes to accommodate increasing enrollees.
According to NMC dean of student services Leo Pangelinan, there are many factors that have encouraged many students to enroll at NMC. He said the college recruitment team has stepped up its efforts to encourage high school students to consider NMC to further their education.
“We have also engaged many students through various activities through the College Access Challenge Grant Program, including the Start Smart Seminars held last year on Saipan, Rota, and Tinian. We've also had multiple information sessions where NMC asked current students to share their experiences with the community. We also hosted the highly successful Cash for College Seminar, which was aimed at helping students find financial assistance to pay for their college expenses,” said Pangelinan, in a statement, adding that more than 400 students attended the last Cash for College event.
The CNMI Scholarship Office has also implemented new regulations requiring new scholarship applicants to attend NMC for their first two years of college in order to receive financial assistance. The college also now offers the TEACH Grant, which provides scholarship funds to students pursuing a teaching career.
According to Hart, NMC is also refocusing its recruitment efforts on adult students who have delayed enrollment for one reason or another. NMC has recently established a Climb Higher program that is aimed at recruiting adult students and providing them with the resources they need to earn a degree.
“While it is important that we look at the number of students served under our credit programs, it is equally important that we look at the numbers served in our non-credit programs like the Community Development Institute and the Adult Basic Education Program. In the last few years, the college served thousands of individuals in these non-credit programs,” added the president.
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