JANESVILLE, Wis. -- A new semester started at the University of Wisconsin Rock County on Wednesday morning, and in 40 years the two-year college has never seen so many students come through the door.

Much has been made of displaced workers going back to school, and the college said that plays a role in the record enrollment numbers.

Half the student population at UW Rock County is made up of non-traditional students older than 22 years of age.

But many new students this semester are choosing the college to stay close to home and not take on big student loans.

"My mom always told me, 'There's always a way to do it.' Financially, we could have done it but it would have been quite the burden to step right out of college and have all that debt right away," said Derek Schwartzlow, of Brodhead.

Another student said he wanted to attend college in Mississippi and said saving up during her first two years might be her only way to go.

Right now, there are more than 1,129 students enrolled, which means more tuition coming in. That money goes to help programs at other two-year UW colleges.