Valencia College reported last week it set a new enrollment record for the fall 2024 semester, as the college continues to experience what it calls historic growth.
Some of that growth is due in part to Osceola Prosper, a county-funded program that has provided county graduates free tuition to Valencia or certification tracks at Osceola Technical College the past three years. In Fall 2024, there were 4,766 Osceola Prosper students enrolled, school officials said.
This semester, 49,676 students took classes at Valencia, breaking the previous record set in fall of 2019, when 48,874 students enrolled. Overall, the number of degree-seeking students enrolled this fall increased 5.5% from fall 2023.
The school said the new data reinforces the college’s continuing commitment to providing access to quality, affordable higher education, and workforce training to the residents of Orange and Osceola counties.
“We are proud of our enrollment, not just because it is our highest ever, but because it demonstrates that we are fulfilling our mission as an affordable and open-access college responding to growing demand for education and training in Central Florida,” said Valencia College President Dr. Kathleen Plinske.
Notably, of the 49,676 students taking credit classes in the fall semester, 25,176 reported that their parents did not attend college or did not graduate from college.
The latest enrollment data reflects an increase in new students as well as returning students. This fall, Valencia College welcomed 8,635 firsttime- in-college students, up 4.4% from last fall. In addition, officials said the number of students returning to continue their studies jumped 7.2% over last fall
