Many students, not enough room at South Florida community colleges

There was a time when community colleges' open-door policy extended right up until the last day of registration. Procrastinating students might not get their first choice of classes, but they would still be able to get in.

That time is gone.

In its place: a frenzied race for not-nearly-enough student spots at Miami Dade College and Broward College, two of the country's biggest learning institutions.

With the sour economy and other factors fueling unprecedented student growth, Miami Dade and Broward College -- schools with a combined enrollment of more than 230,000 -- are still not big enough. Thousands of late-registering students are likely to be turned away.

''It's a madhouse,'' said Dulce Beltran, college registrar at Miami Dade, where a quarter of the fall classes filled up in just two weeks.

Deep cuts in state funding have left community colleges across Florida ill-equiped to handle the enrollment surge. Aside from Florida's double-digit unemployment -- which has inspired many to return to school in search of marketable skills -- community colleges are also admitting scores of students who initially planned on attending public state universities but were turned down because of enrollment caps there.