Lake Michigan College Enrolls 14 Percent More First-time Students as Enrollment Shrinks at State Universities

Lake Michigan College (LMC) enrolled 14 percent more first-time college students this fall, while Michigan’s 15 public universities lost more than 5,000 students.

LMC welcomed 501 first-time college students from 98 high schools and home-school programs, up from 458 a year ago.

New transfer student enrollment rose 21 percent, returning students 11 percent, and students taking individual courses for personal or professional growth 45 percent. Altogether, 1,052 students are new to LMC this fall, up 17 percent from fall 2025.

Total fall headcount reached 3,395 students, up 14 percent since 2022. Students are also taking heavier course loads: credit hours rose 6 percent, with gains in health sciences, business, and the skilled trades.

“Families in Southwest Michigan are doing the math, and the math points to LMC,” said Eric Wignall, Director of Admissions and Recruitment. “Nearly two out of three students who applied to LMC this year followed through and enrolled. Classes have been fuller and, honestly, more engaged. That doesn’t happen because we sent a postcard. It happens because a student and a parent met with us at a college night or FAFSA workshop, compared the real cost of the first two years, and decided this was the smart move.”

Across the Midwest, the number of high school graduates is declining, reflecting lower population growth following the 2008-9 global financial crisis, and college enrollments have decreased. “Despite demographic trends, LMC is poised to grow and reach more people. The college is designed to help multiple audiences - high school students, recent graduates, and people looking to change careers - build knowledge and real-world skills. We are connected to the communities we serve, offering a way for people to learn and adapt to changes in technology and the economy,” Wignall said. 

“Lake Michigan College was founded in 1946 by a community that believed the next generation deserved educational opportunities and training, close to home,” said Al Pscholka, Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Governmental Relations. “Eighty years later, that door is open wider than it has ever been. A graduate from Niles, Coloma, or South Haven can start here with tuition, fees, and books covered, earn a credential employers in this region are hiring for, or transfer to a university without starting over.”

The value of the community’s college 

LMC combined tuition and fees into a single price in 2024 to make cost easy to understand. The Michigan Community College Guarantee now covers tuition and mandatory fees for eligible recent high school graduates. The LMC Foundation then redirected its fundraising from traditional scholarships to buying textbooks for in-district students, closing the cost gap that free tuition programs leave open.

“Free tuition opened the door,” Wignall said. “Free books took away the last excuse. A student who starts here can save a minimum of $14,000 or more over two years compared with starting at a four-year university, learn the same foundational skills, and graduate with the same credits.”

“Michigan made a deliberate bet on community colleges, and Southwest Michigan is cashing in on that bet,” Pscholka said. “The Community College Guarantee reaches the high school graduate. Reconnect reaches the 30-year-old who is working full time and knows a credential would change her paycheck. They are two different programs for two different people, and LMC is the place in this region where both of them work.”

More adults are coming back 

In August, the state lowered the eligibility age for the Michigan Reconnect grant from 25 to 21, extending tuition-free community college to more adults who want to earn a certificate or associate degree.

“The adults we talk to have the same first question: ‘Do I have to start over?’ The answer is almost always no,” Wignall said. “We evaluate credits they’ve already earned; we review every option from single courses to professional skills certificates to full degrees, and much of it can be done around a work schedule. Reconnect can pay the tuition. Our job is to make the first step feel small.

Where students come from 

The top 10 high schools sending graduates to LMC this fall were St. Joseph, Lakeshore, Berrien Springs, L.C. Mohr (South Haven), Watervliet, Benton Harbor, Coloma, Niles, Hartford high schools, and Countryside Academy (see map below).

High school zip codes. Darker shades = higher enrollment

A different direction than the state’s universities

Fall 2026 enrollment at Michigan’s 15 public universities fell 2 percent, from 259,330 to 254,107, according to preliminary data from the Michigan Association of State Universities reported by Bridge Michigan. Twelve of the 15 universities reported declines.

LMC new-student enrollment by student type