Parkland College fall enrollment dips 2.6% as career programs grow
CHAMPAIGN - Parkland College enrolled 6,187 students this fall, a 2.6% decrease from fall 2025, according to the college's official 10th-day enrollment report, released Oct. 30. Full-time equivalent enrollment fell 3.8%, to 3,564 students. The college said continuing-student enrollment held steady despite the overall drop.
Some career programs grew. Health Professions enrollment rose 4% and Applied Science and Technologies 2.7%, while Adult Education, which offers free English as a second language, high school equivalency and basic skills classes, rose 17.5%. More than 1,160 high school students take early-college classes through Parkland, about the same as last year, and 77.6% of students live in Parkland's District 505.
Statewide, the Illinois Community College Board reported 271,845 community college students this fall, down 0.7%, with 19 of 45 colleges growing headcount, according to Parkland's release. Statewide Adult Education and ESL enrollment fell 11.3%.