Photo I Courtesy of Quinsigamond Community College
Luis Pedraja, president of Quinsigamond Community College
3 hours ago
QCC enrollment surges, reaches highest headcount in 13 years
Photo | Grant Welker
Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester
As state community colleges and universities are experiencing enrollment surges throughout Massachusetts, Quinsigamond Community College’s fall 2025 enrollment has grown approximately 15% since last year, reaching the Worcester school’s highest headcount in 13 years.
QCC has had approximately 9,000 students enroll this semester, according to a Sept. 10 press release.
This figure is up from the 7,811 headcount the school garnered in fall 2024 and is the highest since its fall 2011 enrollment of 9,130, Rose D'Errico, QCC’s assistant director of strategic communications and public relations, wrote in an email to WBJ.
QCC’s enrollment figures differ from those on the state’s Department of Higher Education’s data center due to calculations differences in timing and definitions, D'Errico said. The DHE reports QCC had a total headcount of 9,637 in fiscal 2024.
“This record-breaking enrollment has brought thousands of students on our campus, filled with hopes and dreams. They have come prepared to embrace new beginnings, experience many firsts and pursue a brighter future for themselves and their families,” QCC President Luis Pedraja said in the release.
QCC credits this rapid enrollment increase in part to Massachusetts’ MassReconnect and MassEducate programs. MassReconnect, established in 2023, made it possible for students 25 years and older to attend community college for free. In fall of 2024, the state implemented MassEducate, which allows for all students, regardless of age, to attend community college for free as long as they haven’t earned a previous bachelor’s degree.
In July, the DHE released data showing community college enrollment for students 25 years and older, who are those within the MassReconnect population, grew by 39.6% between the fall 2023 and 2024 semesters, according to a July 10 press release from the Gov. Maura Healey Administration.
“We know that a community college degree increases students’ income and helps ensure our businesses have the workforce they need to grow. This new data shows that the program continues to be a success, and our students, businesses and economy are all benefitting,” Healey said in the July press release.
In its continued effort to meet the needs of its thousands of new students, QCC has opened its First-Generation Student Support Center. With approximately 4,400 first-generation students, the support center offers academic guidance, peer-to-peer support, financial aid advising, and studying spaces, according to the center’s website.
“We are working to ensure students have the resources, guidance, and encouragement they need to overcome challenges and reach their full potential,” Pedraja said in the release.
QCC is the second-largest college or university in Central Massachusetts when ranked by full-time or FTE enrollment as of fall 2024, according to data collected by WBJ’s Research Department.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
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