Chaffey College: New Students Break Enrollment Record This Fall
By Chayse Larsen
Chaffey College has officially broken its enrollment record, welcoming about 21.8 thousand first year students taking upwards of 60 thousand courses for the Fall 2025 semester. This is a 19% increase from the Fall 2024 semester. It marks the College’s largest incoming class to date, signaling a potential shift in how local students are seeking out higher education.
Hugo Flores, the Director of Admissions at Chaffey, is hopeful this record breaking enrollment will represent a larger movement of more students choosing community college as their first step.
“This fall, admissions and records saw increased demand for in-person services, reversing a trend toward online engagement," he explained. “It’s been truly great to see the campus come alive again, and I hope that momentum continues”.
This trend is occurring at a time where tuition and housing costs at universities are at historic highs, causing many students to reconsider their options. Community colleges offer a quality education at a significantly lower price, making it more attainable especially for local students who can commute from home. With the changing economy, many students are wanting to stay away from the debt universities can cause.
Kathia Quezada, 18, Spanish major, feels that community college was the best choice for her.
“I did not receive any financial aid at the universities, and at Chaffey I learned about the Panther Promise which gave me the opportunity to study free for two years," she explained. ”I did not want to fall into student debt in the future so I thought community college was the best choice for me.”
Furthermore, the expansion of Chaffey, including new staff members and programs, is something that can be attributed to the surge. By offering new classes, facilities and opportunities, the campus has been able to provide more student outreach.
There have been 11 new courses introduced this fall, including, “Map Interpretation and Analysis” in geography, “Essential Car Care” in automotive technology and “Navigating the U.S. Healthcare System” in public health. For those who previously did not see a fit for their interests, the new additions offer more opportunities for them to achieve their academic goals.
“I think a lot of people my age are choosing community college because there are so many courses to explore, especially with ones added recently," Quezada said. “There is a class for everyone to truly discover what they would like to do.”
Chaffey College’s historic enrollment this Fall marks a transformation in how students are choosing to pursue a higher education. What has previously been seen as a second option is becoming a first choice for many local students, offering flexibility, affordability and a path toward a degree without the burden of hefty tuition costs and debt.
"Given the rising cost of living, it’s understandable that students might choose community college first,” Flores said. “It offers a high-quality education at a much lower cost, along with strong support services to help students prepare for transfer.”
For students like Quezada, enrolling this fall was a no-brainer.
“It’s exciting to see that more young people are understanding the benefits of starting at Chaffey”, she said. “Without it, pursuing a college education might not have been possible for me.”