The University of Wisconsin System’s two-year colleges are bursting at the seams, reaching an all time high for enrollment with the addition of 571 new students this fall.

According to a statement released by UW-Colleges and UW-Extension, UW two-year campuses enrolled over 14,000 students this semester, up 4.1 percent from last fall.

In addition, Marv Van Kekerix, interim chancellor of UW-Colleges and UW-Extension, said the number of students enrolled in online courses offered by UW-Colleges increased by 10 percent.

Van Kekerix said the increase in enrollment this fall semester is not unusual considering the fact that the number of students enrolled in two-year colleges in the UW System has continually increased over the past several years.

This increase actually follows a trend in the increasing amount of students enrolled in higher education institutions, Van Kekerix said.

Part of what makes two-year colleges in the UW System so attractive to students is the opportunity to receive affordable access to a great UW education, Van Kekerix said.

With the state of the general economy, people have to consider the cost of their education and many nontraditional students are looking for an affordable way to pursue a degree, Van Kekerix said.

Van Kekerix said both non-traditional and traditional students are opting to attend two-year colleges in the UW System.

“There has been a slight skew towards non-traditional students, but both numbers are going up,” UW-Colleges spokesperson Howard Cosgrove said.

UW-Fox Valley Dean Jim Perry said his campus has seen evidence of the increase in the number of students enrolled in two-year colleges.

Perry said the number of students enrolled increased from about 1,700 last year to 1,800 this year.

“It is an all-time record enrollment for this campus,” Perry said.

Paula Langteau, dean of UW-Marinette, said they saw a 23 percent increase in the number of students attending the college last year, but enrollment numbers are down this year.

Langteau added although there are fewer students than last year, the college still maintains a healthy enrollment.

As a general trend, Van Kekerix said he expects to see continued increases over the next few years.