Living in a new world restricted by a health pandemic has affected many areas of our lives, including how students receive their higher education. But as Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness Cathy Fulkerson reveals in the Fall 2021 Quick Facts enrollment update for Western Nevada College, students in Northern Nevada are committed to higher education through WNC.

Fall enrollment at WNC increased 1 percent compared to last fall thats nearly 7 percent better than the national average for public two-year institutions across the country.

WNC has seen a major increase in the percentage of Native American students, rising 22 percent from a year ago. There also is a record number of students of color (36 percent) attending the college now, including the highest percentage of Hispanic and Latino students at 25 percent.

Other numbers from the report are 54 percent of WNCs students are women, 32 percent are full-time students, 39 percent are between the ages of 18 and 24, 36 percent are from Carson City, 27 percent are dual enrollment high school students and 52 percent are enrolled in at least one online class.

The college also retained 64 percent of first-time full-time students from Fall 2020 to Fall 2021. Thats up 7 percent compared to Fall 2019 to Fall 2020.