Success story: Seven straight semesters of growth led by high school students

October 1, 2025

More area students are getting a head start on degrees and careers through record high school enrollment at NMC this fall.

Combined, 544 high school students were dual enrolled or in Early College at NMC this fall, a 13 percent jump from fall 2024. High school students now make up nearly 16% of the 3,460 students on campus.

“For the student and the family, it gives them an opportunity to get a head start and save money,” said NMC Admissions director Lisa vonReichbauer.

Beyond the head start, research shows that students who dual-enroll in a college class or Early College students, who earn an associate degree in just one year, are more likely to get to the finish line — graduation.

“It increases college going skills, college success and college completion,” vonReichbauer said.

Hitting that record took an all-out NMC effort on financial, communication and programming fronts, including a new, lower tuition rate. Tuition for both programs is paid by local school districts, but until last year, the tuition rate for students outside Grand Traverse County left a difference that families had to pay out of pocket. In January 2024, NMC trustees approved a new rate for out of district dual enrolled students that eliminates that out of pocket expense.

Equipped with that new rate, vonReichbauer said NMC has improved outreach to both high schools and families, including home school families.

“We’ve communicated better about the opportunities, so we’re seeing more people taking advantage of that,” she said.

Suttons Bay High School students are among the out-of-district students who are. Counselor Meredith Schmidt said dual enrollment expands course choices.

“We are a very small school, which means we are not always able to offer Honors or AP sections of classes. Many of our students enroll in NMC classes, and the experience is invaluable,” Schmidt said. “NMC is an excellent partner institution, and provides really high quality coursework.”

VonReichbauer said NMC is working to tailor programming to the needs of individual schools and students, such as:

• In-person classes on the high school campus – like EDU 100, offered at schools including TCAPS, Northwest Ed and Greenspire High School this fall,
• New academic tracks for Early College, like law enforcement and business tracks offered through the Wexford-Missaukee ISD, and
• For all students, an emphasis on instilling independence, from orientation and registering for classes to communicating with instructors.

Suttons Bay’s Schmidt said this is the most important benefit. “The most impactful benefit of dual enrollment is the confidence students gain when they realize they can absolutely be successful in college level coursework.”

Schmidt has both personal and professional perspectives, since her own daughter dual-enrolled and transferred all her NMC credits to Grand Valley State University. “(They) truly have an advantage when they enter post-secondary institutions as full-time students,” she said.

The record high school enrollment is part of a strong overall fall enrollment at NMC. Headcount stands at 3,460, up 6.2% from fall 2024, and the seventh straight semester of growth. Students are also taking more classes, with contact hours up 8.2%.