Down, up and then dropping down again. This isn’t a rollercoaster, this is EC’s enrollment over the past year.

After the drops so far, there are currently 23,550 students at EC this semester. That is about 182 students short of last spring, but higher than last fall’s enrollment of 22,014 students, Bill Mulrooney, director of admissions and records, said.

Dr. Thomas Fallo, EC president, said that this number could swell to 25,000 students depending upon the short-term, six-week classes.

Administators speculate the enrollment drop could be due to a variety of factors such as textbook prices, economy, work and the $26 enrollment fee increase.

“When economies tend to be more productive and there’s less unemployment, enrollments actually drop,” Mulrooney said.

Mulrooney said state funding could also be affected if enrollment decreases in future semesters.

“It could snap back in spring, you never know,” he said. “The winter session tends to be very popular too.”