FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday September 15, 2025
AURORA, Colo. – This fall, the Community College of Aurora achieved an historic enrollment milestone. Over 9,500 students have enrolled in the fall 2025 semester, the largest enrollment that CCA has ever seen in any fall semester and about 1,000 more students than fall 2024. Students can continue registering for certain course schedules until late October, indicating that this number will only increase.
Most of the growth in the student body comes from online and concurrent enrollment programs. These more flexible options make higher education possible for high school students earning college credit before graduation, and more accessible for online students who can learn without commuting to physical classrooms.
CCA President Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee also attributes the enrollment increase to intentional investments CCA made over the past year—from opening the Centennial Campus for Healthcare and First Responders and the new Center for Applied Science and Technology, to launching new degree programs in Nursing and Behavioral Health, and strengthening student supports like crisis grants and transit assistance.
“These efforts demonstrate that when we remove barriers and create clear, affordable, and high-quality pathways, students will respond,” said Dr. Brownlee. “Breaking our all-time enrollment record this fall is both a humbling and energizing milestone for our college. Above all, this record enrollment tells us that more Coloradans are placing their trust in CCA to be the bridge to their future. It is a testament to our students’ resilience, our faculty and staff’s commitment, and our community’s belief in the power of higher education to change lives.”
Growth through Trust
In 2022, CCA made the strategic decision to create the Division of Enrollment Success and Completion. Administrators knew then that the sustainability and growth of CCA required a focused commitment to recruiting, enrolling, and guiding students toward their academic and career pathways. The Division develops intentional community relationships to bring that vision to life.
“We go out to the community and work with municipalities, like with the Commerce City Promise program and the Aurora Police Cadet program,” said CCA’s Vice President of Enrollment Success and Completion, Clair Collins. “We make sure that those are high quality programs so that we are building trust and engagement. When you’re a community college, your enrollment is predicated on trust in the community.”
Much of Collins’ work leading the Division since its creation has focused on refining internal student processes. This makes it easier for students to enroll, helps students receive their financial aid earlier, and makes larger financial aid packages available. Due to that work, each CCA student now has access to about $1,800 more in financial aid and scholarships than in 2023.
To learn more about the Community College of Aurora and its commitment to student success, please visit www.ccaurora.edu.
About the Community College of Aurora:
The Community College of Aurora (CCA) provides high-quality instruction and student support services to Aurora, Centennial, and Denver, Colorado. With a vision to aspire to be a college where every student succeeds, CCA is the most diverse college in the State of Colorado. Focused on creating social and economic mobility for its students, the college offers courses on three (3) campuses, online, and through its high school concurrent-enrollment programs. For more information, visit www.ccaurora.edu.