Part-time student enrollment on the rise as fulltime student enrollment decreases less than half a percent at Elgin Community College. Despite the fact student enrollment has gone up by four percent and credit hour enrollment by almost five percent, more students believe part-time credit hours are what’s best for them. Upon speaking with several part-time students here at ECC we discovered the leading cause of part-time enrollment was stress, financial hardship, and personal life outside of school. Janet Flores-Ruiz, age 19-, and first-year student, expressed that even though she would like to attend fulltime, her personal life and having to work at multiple family businesses to help support her family, will not allow her to. “Family business, home life and chores keep me par-time”. Jose Perez, age 19, and also a first-year student simply said “I can’t afford it” when asked why not enroll in full-time credit hours. Raiden Nadiral age 19, and first year stated affordability and being in a Fox valley transitional program allowing him to only take two classes at a time saying “I’m not comfortable being full-time”.