WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue University anticipates its incoming batch of freshmen to be the largest class in recent years.
Purdue's projections — based on the number of admitted students who paid their admissions deposit by the May 1 deadline — show the incoming class will include upwards of 7,400 students, said Pam Horne, vice provost for enrollment management.
"How far north, we don't totally know," she said. "It just depends on how many of their deposits were firm."
Last year's incoming class was the largest since 2006 at more than 7,200 freshmen, according to university reports.
Along with an expanded student body, Purdue anticipates more Hoosiers on campus in the fall.
"We're really excited about that," Horne said. "We expect for the for the first time since 2008 to have more than 4,000 students from Indiana."
The university will also likely have the most diverse class in its history. Horne said this year saw a 15 percent increase over last year in deposits from underrepresented minorities, which Purdue defines as American Indian or Alaska Native, black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. The 2016 freshman class enrolled about 700 underrepresented minority students.