NORTHERN Marianas College welcomed close to 1,300 students to its Fall 2022 semester which began Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. Despite dealing with an ongoing pandemic and recovery efforts from the major destruction caused by Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018, NMC saw this term a 7% increase in enrollment compared to the same period last year with 1,281 students registered.
NMC said enrollment numbers may still change as students modify their schedules during the first week of the semester.
“We are glad to see that more and more students in the CNMI are looking to NMC for their academic and professional growth and development,” NMC President Galvin Deleon Guerrero, Ed.D. said.
This semester, 32% of NMC classes are offered online while the rest have a face-to-face component. At the start of the pandemic in 2020, 92% of NMC’s classes were offered online.
The use of masks is now optional on all NMC campuses. However, the Covid-19 vaccination requirement for students who would like to take in-person classes is still in place. Students who do not want to take part in the Covid-19 preventative measure can still enroll in the online classes offered by the college.
Excited
This week, students can also participate in several “Welcome Week” activities hosted by NMC’s Office of Student Activities and Leadership.
One student, Nicole Sune, said she is looking forward to her first semester at NMC.
“I’m excited to make new friends this semester,” Sune said. The 18-year-old Marianas High School graduate is with the pre-nursing program, and hopes to enter the healthcare field in the future.
Mary-Ann Perez, another newcomer at NMC, is also excited.
“I’m really excited about all the new activities that I'll be able to join this semester,” Perez said.
Perez is an 18-year-old freshman from Saipan Southern High School. She is majoring in liberal arts with an emphasis in education. Perez plans to become a teacher after obtaining her education degree.