Prospectus

Issue date: 10/7/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Lance Christiansen, Chicago Tribune Harper College sophomore Amar Bhatia, center, asks classmate Jason Whiston, right, a question during their Financial Accounting Fundamentals class at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, Wednesday, September 9, 2009. Bhatia transferred to Harper from Indiana University last year because both of his parents lost their jobs and they could no longer afford the out-of-state tuition.

CHICAGO-When Amar Bhatia was weighing his postsecondary options, he chose Indiana University over DePaul University because DePaul's downtown Chicago campus was just too close to Mom and Dad.

Now, as a sophomore, he's even closer-at Harper Community College, a five-minute drive from his Palatine, Ill., home. "It's like being a senior all over again," said the 2008 Fremd High School graduate.

Bhatia, 19, is part of a growing pool of students called "reverse transfers." Rather than use community colleges as a launching pad, these young adults are going the other way.

As the recession grinds on, prestige has taken a back seat to affordability. Sky-rocketing university tuition, along with more reluctance to take on huge loans (especially if grades are less than stellar or your major is "undecided") has spurred students to reconsider an alternative they once dismissed.

Although recent statistics aren't available, officials say there's plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that this group has contributed to the overall record enrollments currently being seen at community colleges nationwide.

"This is a direct response to last fall when the economy imploded," explained Steve Morse, spokesman of the Illinois Community College Board, referring to the rise in "reverse-transfers."

Along with Harper, a number of other area community colleges-Oakton in Des Plaines, Moraine Valley in Palos Hills, Prairie State in Chicago Heights and Joliet-all report an uptick in students making a U-turn.

Oakton officials said that this semester's crop of students have transferred from some highly selective schools, including University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (25 students) and Northwestern University (15).

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