North Country Community College President Joe Keegan speaks to faculty and staff at a college welcome back event in Saranac Lake prior to the start of the Spring 2026 semester. (Provided photo — Chris Knight)

SARANAC LAKE — North Country Community College marked its seventh consecutive semester of enrollment growth when the spring semester started on Jan. 27 — this time seeing a 10% year-to-year increase in student numbers since the start of the 2025 spring semester.

Marketing and Enrollment Vice President Kyle Johnston said there are 726 matriculated, degree-seeking students enrolled currently, compared to 649 last spring. He said there are 81 non-matriculated students taking micro-credentials courses, compared to 77 last spring.

The Second Chance Pell prison education program, which offers education to inmates at local state and federal correctional facilities, is on a different schedule than the college, and numbers for its enrollment were not available Wednesday. It has had more than 100 students in recent years.

Johnston said the 10% is a conservative first-day number, and this week’s numbers show it may actually be 12%. Classes began a day late, after a snowstorm led to a school closure on the first day of classes.

The fall semester saw 878 first-day matriculated students — a 7% increase from the prior year.

Full-time equivalent enrollment in the 2010s had been up near 900. This dropped significantly into the 600s during the coronavirus pandemic and the college has been building back up ever since.

Johnston said NCCC had some tough years through the pandemic, with declining enrollment leading to declining revenue. The forecasts were “gloomy” for a while. Now that they have some “traction” with improved enrollment and improved revenue, he said it has “completely changed the picture.”

In recent years, Johnston said the health care and human services programs are seeing the largest increases in students — accounting for most of NCCC’s growth.

“There definitely is need for people that can help people in the North Country,” he said.

These careers offer good jobs and benefit the community, he added.

Johnston said there are several reasons for the increased enrollment at the SUNY community college, but the one that stands above the rest is the SUNY Reconnect program, which launched over the summer and helped boost the fall enrollment numbers.

SUNY Reconnect offers free college to New Yorkers aged 25 to 55 who do not have degrees but are seeking ones in “high-need” fields. Johnston said this covers tuition, books, fees and supplies.

Seven NCCC programs qualified for the program.

Johnston said its addiction counseling program saw the biggest jump, “by far.” There are not many programs like the one NCCC offers online, he said, and many downstate students are taking it.

He also said the cybersecurity/digital forensics program, health sciences program and radiologic technology program saw smaller jumps in enrollment through SUNY Reconnect.

“SUNY Reconnect continues to have a positive impact on our enrollment, as does the availability of a host of scholarship opportunities, many the result of the generous philanthropic support from members of our community,” NCCC President Joe Keegan said in a statement. “We are grateful to our community partners, Gov. (Kathy) Hochul and the legislature for their continued investment in our institution and students.”

Currently, Hochul’s proposed Executive Budget expands SUNY Reconnect for the next year and adds eligible programs, including logistics, air traffic control and transportation and emergency management. It would also allow adults with a prior degree to pursue nursing through the program.

“This fall and winter, (I was hearing) that a lot of (the students) intended to come back to college for quite some time. Most of them started, but never finished college,” Johnston said. “When SUNY Reconnect came up, and they realized that what they wanted to do — or something that was close to what they wanted to do — was going to be free, that was the big difference-maker.”

The college’s digital arts and design, massage therapy, business: sports and events management and practical nursing certificate programs have all also seen increases in enrollment this semester.

NCCC recently got two grants secured by its Office of Student Affairs — a $15,000 grant to address increased demand for food and basic needs assistance, and a $22,000 grant from the Gates Foundation to strengthen the college’s Emergency Needs Fund. This fund provides support to students facing financial crises as they work toward completing their degrees.

Johnston said sometimes, an unexpected $500 bill can cause a student to need to abandon their college dream. He said, not too long ago, the college’s emergency fund was only $5,000. This additional funding comes at a crucial time, he added, because right now, society is in one of those times when there’s a lot more financial need.

NCCC has three campuses — Malone, Saranac Lake and Ticonderoga. It also runs classes at correctional facilities in Ray Brook and Malone as part of the Second Chance Pell program. It offers 30 degrees and certificate programs.