Austin Community College District’s (ACC) spring semester began with a cold start, with a winter storm causing the College to close its campuses and centers for the first day of classes.
View a slideshow of photos from a couple of our snow-covered campuses on Tuesday, January 21, below.
The College came back to life the next day, with faculty and staff set up on all campuses districtwide to provide a warm welcome and assistance to new and returning students as part of the Welcome Riverbats tradition.
View a slideshow of photos from the first week of classes below.
Spring Enrollment Update
The College saw a jump in enrollment this spring based on preliminary numbers. As of the fourth day of classes, 38,989 students were enrolled—approximately an 11.3% increase from spring 2024, which had an unduplicated headcount of 34,941.
The three largest Dean Areas for enrollment are: Liberal Arts – Social and Behavioral Sciences, Liberal Arts – Humanities and Communication, and Science, Engineering & Mathematics.
The areas that saw the strongest growth year over year include:
- Business – Up 27% from spring 2024
- Science, Engineering & Mathematics – Up 19% from spring 2024
Free Tuition Pilot Program
More students are taking advantage of the College’s Free Tuition Pilot Program this semester (5,030 students) than in the fall (4,968 students). Persistence rates (81%) for direct-to-college students exceed those of other students by 4-6 percentage points. Additionally, more than half of the students in the program (52%) identified as Hispanic, which is 12 percentage points higher than the share of Hispanic students not enrolled in the program (40%).