More students are choosing MATC and we are excited about the results from this year.
For the third straight year, student enrollment at Milwaukee Area Technical College increased, with 2024-25 enrollment on track to grow by 6% compared to the prior year. The trend continues a period of growth following a decline during the COVID-19 pandemic.
MATC primarily measures enrollment by — and receives its state funding based upon — the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) students. To calculate the number, the college calculates all the credits students are taking and divides it by the number of credits a full-time student takes. So, one full-time student is one FTE and two students taking a “half load” of credits is also one FTE. Enrollment by total number of students served is also up; summer grew by 4%, fall by 9% and spring is on track for 10% growth. Counting all students, MATC serves more than 30,000 students each year.
“More students are choosing MATC and we are excited about the results from this year,” MATC President Anthony Cruz, Ed.D., said.
“We attribute this continued growth to a combination of factors including students seeking to further their education and career options, the college’s increased efforts to provide student support services, faculty and staff excellence, students’ word-of-mouth, and increased marketing about our 180-plus career-ready and four-year transfer degree, technical diploma and certificate programs.”
Read coverage about the increase:
MATC recently launched a marketing campaign featuring diverse students and alumni to emphasize that the academic and career pathway offerings at the college are the way to connect to careers that provide family-sustaining wages.
“We continue to focus on our processes that support our students and we are positioned to assist them whether they are coming directly from high school or returning as adults,” MATC Dean of Retention, Success and Opportunity, Janay Alston-Burnett said. “We connect students with an advisor and a cadre of support services to ensure they have a positive and empowering student experience from application through graduation.”
MATC has instituted many initiatives to attract students and keep them in class and on the path to success including:
- Stronger academic support services including connection to an advisor, coaches, tutoring and more scholarships, and supports to access grants, loans and work study
- Little Stormers Village drop-in daycare at our Downtown Milwaukee Campus
- Food pantries at all college locations
- Counseling and Psychological Services which offers free and confidential counseling, as well as resources and referrals for students and families experiencing life challenges
- Registration sessions for new and continuing students
- The M-Cubed partnership between MATC, Milwaukee Public Schools and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee removes barriers to entering college, supports student success in the first year of college, and provides financial aid assistance, mentorship, student and parent supports, and workplace learning opportunities
These and other initiatives all contribute to the full college experience and thus the college’s enrollment growth.
In addition, the college continues to see more graduates who complete their program ready to start a career, transfer to a four-year university, or both. MATC graduated 2,500 students in 2024, up from 2,150 in the prior two years.
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
