HELENA – Carroll College is reporting a 3.9% year-over-year increase in their spring enrollment with 1,098 students currently enrolled at the college.
Carroll also saw an increase in the retention rate of first-year students returning for a second semester, with a 91.9% persistence rate for this cohort.
“We are happy to see our numbers trending in a positive direction which I attribute to the collective efforts of our faculty and staff in supporting our students and helping ensure their Carroll experience is living up to their expectations,” said Carroll President John Cech. “Given our tight-knit community and the personalized attention provided by our faculty, Carroll, as a Catholic, liberal arts institution, is in a unique position among other colleges and universities in our region to provide a mission-driven, student-centered educational experience.”
Growth in spring enrollment has been bolstered by the addition of Carroll’s new Master of Social Work program which has enrolled its second cohort of graduate students. In addition, this is the first spring in a number of years that the college has experienced an increase in bachelor degree students compared to the prior spring semester. This is primarily a result of consecutive years of larger first-year classes as well as the addition of the Accelerated Nursing track which offers a 15-month intensive track to a nursing degree for those who have already earned a bachelor’s or higher degree in a non-nursing field.
“We have been intentional about introducing programs that are highly sought-after and essential for the state and region,” said Cech. “Our focus on social work and accelerated nursing has been complemented by our ongoing efforts in developing a Physician Assistant program, which pending provisional accreditation, will have us matriculating our inaugural class in fall of 2025.”
Thanks to its new Global Student Refugee/Asylee Initiative, Carroll was also able to welcome three new Ukrainian students and one additional Ethiopian student to campus this spring. Their presence brings the total number of exchange and degree seeking international students at Carroll to 22 students representing 15 different countries including Chile, Norway, Japan (2), South Africa, Ethiopia (4), Denmark, Israel, Argentina, Lebanon, Brazil (2), Spain, Iceland, China, Serbia/Turkey, and Ukraine (3).
Following the conclusion of the fall semester, Carroll conferred degrees upon 30 students, with 29 being awarded bachelor's degrees and one receiving a Master of Accountancy degree.
Carroll College also maintains the highest graduation rate of any public or private college or university in the four-state region of Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, and Wyoming. Carroll's most recent graduating class in spring of 2022 achieved the college's highest four-year graduation rate in over three decades.