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Schools scramble to woo students

From the March issue: The crisis in the housing market is having repercussions even at school -- specifically at real estate schools in the New York metropolitan area. For many, enrollment is down, and educators are scrambling to come up with a more diverse menu of courses to woo prospective students, including those already out of a job. The crisis is not just affecting classes for the sales side of the business; interest is dropping across a broader array of jobs connected with the real estate industry. Over the last year, enrollment has dropped sharply for standard licensing courses for mortgage brokers, title closers and appraisers, courses that are the bread and butter of these specialty education centers. For their part, real estate schools are jockeying to fill the enrollment gap by targeting prospective students with no real estate experience as well as professionals who are required to keep their licenses current by taking continuing education courses. They're also offering classes in areas of real estate with growth opportunities, such as foreclosures, short sales and property management, and they're trying to offer more online licensing classes, which are increasingly popular.

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