STOCKTON, Calif. — Walking to his office on the campus of Stockton's San Joaquin Delta College has been different the past few months for the college's director of marketing and communications, Alex Breitler.
"If you walk around the Delta campus these days, you see students, you see activities and events and you see classrooms that are full of people," said Breitler. "During COVID, it was pretty quiet around here."
According to Breitler, enrollment this fall is up 17% from last year. The increase in new and returning students puts the community college just shy of the pre-pandemic, fall 2019 enrollment numbers.
"For us that really is a pretty remarkable improvement which we're very excited about," said Breitler. "We've seen that bounce back occurring at other community colleges around the state as well which is great to see."
It's not just the halls of Delta College seeing a surge in students. Down the street on Pacific Avenue, the state's oldest university is breaking records.
The University of the Pacific is seeing its highest enrollment numbers in the college's 172-year history across its three campuses this fall.
“Our fast-growing student population reflects the power, value and attraction of a Pacific education, which offers a wide array of majors and degree programs delivered by dedicated, caring faculty in small, personalized learning environments on three unique campuses across Northern California,” said university president Christopher Callahan in a statement. “We are delighted to welcome all our new students to this vibrant community of scholars.”
The university saw a 7.6% increase in enrollment for fall 2023 compared to fall 2022. Much of the surge came from an increase in international students and students enrolling in the university's Eberhardt School of Business.
According to the university, its students represent 67 countries, six continents and 46 states.
At Delta College, the enrollment increase is more widespread across campuses, Breitler said.
"Anecdotally as I go and I talk to folks around the campus, it really seems to be almost across the board. I'm not sure that it's any particular program or programs where we're seeing the increase," said Breitler. "We would have to dive into the numbers, and I'm sure we'll do that, to really be able to answer that question, but anecdotally, (enrollment) is up in a lot of areas."
With more students on local campuses, the local economy could see a boost too.
In August, the University of the Pacific held a "Tiger's Prowlin' The Mile" event along the neighboring Miracle Mile shopping district exposing hundreds of students to some of the city's small businesses.
Meanwhile, at Delta College, the increase in students has also meant an increase in on-campus activities from symphony concerts and plays to athletic and cultural events.
"Just the mere fact that we can have those kinds of events again and celebrate the great things that our students are doing in person, I think is huge," said Breitler. "Nearly half of our students are the first in their families to attend college and I think that's much more difficult when you're doing it in isolation."
According to a 2021 report, the school pumps nearly $572 million into the local economy per year in alumni earnings and spending while supporting nearly 6,900 local jobs.
"One of the findings from that study was that students who graduate from Delta, on average, see a yearly earnings increase of about $8,700 a year compared to those who have a high school GED or the equivalent," said Breitler. "The more money folks have to spend, the better off we are as a local economy."
While the reasons behind the surge are still being studied, Breitler says the college plans to continue marketing efforts and be active in the community. For now, he is grateful to see more cars in the parking lot and more faces on the way to the office.
"It feels like a college campus again, which I think we're all really excited about," said Breitler. "It is significant and there are ripple effects across the entire local economy when people go to college and stay in college."
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