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Last modified: Monday, June 16, 2003

Summer enrollment hits record levels at six IU campuses

NOTE: Complete enrollment information is available online at https://www.indiana.edu/~rrlilly/.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Traditionally, most people think that the academic year begins in late August and concludes in May. However, an increasing number of students at Indiana University are taking summer classes.

During the first summer session, enrollment reached record levels at six IU campuses and remained close to the all-time high at IU Bloomington. Overall, total enrollment in IU summer programs was a record 33,276, a 3.5 percent increase over summer 2002. There also was a 4 percent increase in number of credit hours taken.

All-time highs in both categories were set at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), IU East, IU Northwest, IU South Bend, IU Southeast and Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW). At IU Bloomington, summer enrollment dipped 0.7 percent from last year's all-time record.

Les Coyne, IU Bloomington associate vice chancellor for extended programs, said that for some students, a sluggish economy has affected the number of summer jobs at home. So, many of these students -- particularly juniors and seniors -- decided to continue to work toward their degrees. "There is an indirect relationship to the economy," Coyne said. "It's intuitive. When the economy heads south, summer enrollment goes up. That's exactly what happened."

"We're thrilled with the numbers at IU South Bend," said Linda Fritschner, acting associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at IU South Bend. "Our first summer session has set a new record for student enrollment and credit hours."

Fritschner agreed that the lackluster economy has been a factor in summer enrollment. Some students have remained in summer session classes because of fewer jobs or fewer work hours. But, she added, there has been a concerted effort to offer courses for majors as well as the general education requirement courses. Students can accelerate their progress toward a degree.

Benjamin Young, vice chancellor for enrollment services and dean of students at IU East, credited targeted student recruitment initiatives as one reason for a 6.1 percent increase in first-session enrollment. "There was an effort to retain students in certain classes who we identified as high risk," he said. "Our faculty worked hard to identify the classes that students really needed."

Below are enrollment highlights for each campus:

-- At IU Bloomington, first summer session enrollment was 9,031, down 0.7 percent from 9,091 a year ago. Undergraduate enrollment dipped 2.1 percent, but graduate enrollment increased 1.7 percent and professional enrollments were up 1.3 percent.

-- At IUPUI, first session enrollment totaled 12,096, a 6.8 percent increase from a year ago (11,327). Undergraduate enrollment rose 3.1 percent, and full-time graduate enrollment increased 50.4 percent. There was an 8.4 percent increase in the total number of credit hours taken. Non-resident student enrollments increased 22.8 percent.

-- At IU East, enrollment increased 4.9 percent to 810 students (772 a year ago). Full-time undergraduate enrollment increased 40 percent. The numbers of sophomores and seniors enrolled rose 27.5 percent and 26.5 percent respectively. The number of credit hours taken increased 14.2 percent.

-- At IPFW, enrollment in IU undergraduate programs increased 3 percent and graduate enrollment rose 11 percent. Total first session enrollment in IU programs was 2,236, a 2.2 percent increase from 2,187 last year.

-- At IU Kokomo, enrollment declined by 15 students to 940, a 1.6 percent decrease. While undergraduate enrollment decreased by 25 students, special graduate enrollments grew by 19 students.

-- At IU Northwest, enrollment grew 3.6 percent, from 2,235 to 2,315 students. Freshman, sophomore and junior enrollments all increased over last summer. Special undergraduate and graduate enrollments grew 22.2 percent and 14.9 percent respectively.

-- At IU South Bend, enrollment increased by 180 students, from 2,947 to 3,127, a 6.1 percent increase. Undergraduate enrollments increased 7.5 percent, particularly among juniors, who increased 23.8 percent. The campus also set a new record for credit hours, 12,318, an 8.63 percent increase over 2002.

-- At IU Southeast, enrollment grew 3 percent, from 2,641 to 2,721. Freshman, sophomore and senior classes grew considerably. The campus' reciprocity agreement program with Kentucky also continued to grow, with a 13.8 percent increase in non-resident enrollment.