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Southeast Tech reports 156-student enrollment gain; financial aid office fields record demand
Summary
Southeast Technical College officials told the board the college’s 10th-day head count rose by 156 students over last year and that financial aid applications and Pell recipients are trending higher amid changes to the FAFSA.
Southeast Technical College on Tuesday told its board that fall 2025 enrollment increased by 156 students compared with last year and that credit hours have returned to just over 30,000 for the fall semester.
Megan Fisher, vice president for enrollment management and student affairs, told the board the head-count increase represents growth over the last five years: “From five years ago, we’re up 21% in head count and we’re up 16% in credits,” she said. Fisher said the college’s tenth-day census showed the college “was up 156 students,” and that credits were “just a little ahead of 30,000,” a level not seen in about 12 years.
The enrollment report also highlighted Southeast Tech’s dual and concurrent-credit partnerships with area high schools. Fisher said 80 students from the Sioux Falls School District were taking dual or concurrent credit this fall, an increase from 58 last year, and she singled out Jefferson High School as a new source of students.
Micah Hansen, director of financial aid, briefed the board on aid-processing activity and program counts. Hansen said the college has received 3,844 ISER records to date representing 3,120 FAFSA applicants and that the financial aid office has issued 1,846 eligibility notifications so far this year. He reported year-to-date counts of 848 Pell Grant recipients, 149 SEOG grant recipients and 964 students with loans, with work-study participation at 10 students to date.
Hansen described common processing issues his office confronts, including verification paperwork, incorrect Social Security numbers on applications and a small number of federal-processing errors. He also noted the 2026–27 FAFSA had been released and that some application steps had been simplified, such as allowing parent invite by email only.
Board members asked about strategic use of facilities, workforce connections and whether the college could produce data showing longer-term return on investment for graduates. Fisher and Hansen said they will work with marketing and analytics staff to provide additional outcomes and value-of-degree information in future reports.
The board moved and approved a motion to acknowledge the fall enrollment and financial aid reports.
