Career and technical enrollment rises 5.9% at Illinois community colleges as overall headcount dips

Enrollment in career and technical education programs at Illinois community colleges grew 5.9% this fall, to 75,208 students, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office and the Illinois Community College Board announced Tuesday.¹ The release called it the highest growth in nine years.¹

Career and technical programs, which train students for specific jobs, have grown every year since fall 2022, rising 26.1% over that span.¹ They now account for 27.7% of all community college enrollment in the state, according to the board’s Fall 2026 Opening Enrollment Report.¹

Total enrollment slips

Total enrollment across the system was 271,845 students this fall, a 0.7% decrease from fall 2025 that follows four consecutive years of growth, the release said.¹ Enrollment remains 0.2% above fall 2019, before the pandemic.¹

Full-time-equivalent enrollment, a measure that accounts for students taking fewer classes, declined 1.0%.¹ Nineteen of the state’s 45 community colleges reported higher headcounts than last year.¹

Where students moved

Vocational skills training, another hands-on area, grew 9.6%.¹ Transfer programs, which prepare students to move on to four-year universities, declined 1.8%, and adult education and English as a second language programs fell 11.3%, according to the report highlights in the release.¹

Dual credit enrollment, in which high school students earn college credit, grew 2.0% to 56,043 students.¹ That is up 44.8% since fall 2022, the release said.¹ More than one in three students, 36.5%, took at least one online course this fall.¹

The system offered 4,404 active programs in fiscal 2026, including 1,173 Associate of Applied Science degrees, 2,957 certificates and 274 baccalaureate and transfer degrees.¹

What officials said

“Our 26% increase over the past four years means more students with a pathway to opportunity, a more robust workforce pipeline to help businesses grow and compete, and a stronger economy for all of Illinois,” Pritzker said in the release.¹

“Growth in career and technical education means more Illinoisans are gaining the skills that lead directly to good-paying jobs,” said Brian Durham, the board’s executive director.¹ Board Chair Sylvia Jenkins said, “Students are telling us what they want: hands-on training that leads directly to a career.”¹

Funding

The governor’s office tied the growth to state spending.¹ It said community college funding has increased by nearly $63.1 million, or 43%, since fiscal 2019.¹ The fiscal 2027 budget includes $721.6 million for Monetary Award Program grants, the state’s need-based aid, a $320 million increase since fiscal 2019, according to the release.¹

The release cited state-backed training efforts, including Manufacturing Training Academies, electric vehicle training programs and a truck driver training program in Litchfield.¹

About the figures

The opening enrollment report is an early snapshot taken on the 10th day of the fall semester, the board said.¹ More detailed data, including demographics and program-level participation, will come later this year in the board’s annual Data Book.¹ The full report is posted on the board’s website at iccb.org/data.¹