For the first time ever, Johnston Community College's GED, or General Education Development, program has had to put students on a waiting list.

More than 700 people have taken the exam to get into the program since January, said JCC's Director of Basic Skills Pamela Earp. That's about a 75 percent increase, she added.

"Many of the folks that we are seeing now don't have a lot of options. And they're turning to the community college," said Earp.

The program, which is free to students, has traditionally served students who have not been out of school for long, like 19-year-old Jamal Barbour of Clayton.

"I had no intention of going back to school," said Barbour. He dropped out of high school after having too many problems with teachers, he said. "Then my parents were talking to me, saying ‘you're not going to get no job and all this without no GED or high school diploma.'"

But with the economic downturn, more older students are signing up, like 36-year-old Kathry Atanaico of Smithfield. She left school when she was 14-years-old to help support her family.

"It's a little scary and a little exciting to know that I can come back and that this program is here," Atanaico said.

Some students have lost their jobs. Others fear that they will lose them.

"The GED is required for most jobs," Earp said. "And without that, there are too many other applicants out there to take. So I think that people realize that now is the time. Even if they haven't lost a job yet, now is the time to start working on it."