Overall spring enrollment is down about 2% at Indiana State University.
However, the university noted Wednesday new enrollment has increased for the first time since 2016.
Spring headcount this year is 7,660, compared to 7,834 in spring 2023, a difference of 174 students, or down about 2.2%.
Full-time equivalents is 5,755 this spring, compared to 5.828 last spring, a difference of 73 students or down about 1.2%.
ISU attributes the decline in headcount to the continuing impact of small COVID-affected cohorts (2020 and 2021).
The majority of the enrollment decline is attributed to part-time, online students, according to news release from the university.
The spring semester growth in new enrollment also follows two consecutive years of new enrollment growth in the fall semesters.
Initial spring 2024 enrollment data show new enrollment increased 9.1% compared to 2023, or 40 students. Total new student enrollment this spring is about 480 to 485 students, said Chris Olsen, provost and vice president for academic affairs.
New student enrollment includes first-year students, transfer, and graduate students.
“This is great news for Indiana State University and for continuing and returning students to Indiana State,” Olsen said. “To see positive enrollment growth is always good news, but it’s particularly exciting to see it in the spring semester when enrollment numbers typically dip or stagnate,” he said. Indiana State’s first-year persistence rate, or the number of students returning for their second semester, is at an all-time high of 87.4%, the university reported. President Deborah J. Curtis attributes much of the increase in student retention to the Indiana State Advantage program.
“Indiana State students can return to classes semester after semester because they receive more financial assistance and reduce out-of-pocket costs,” she said in the news release.
Additionally, eligible students can benefit from up to a $3,000 experiential learning grant, such as study abroad opportunities and internships.
“The overall environment in higher education is challenging right now, with fewer students looking to pursue a four-year degree,” Curtis stated. “I am tremendously proud of the hard work of our Indiana State faculty and staff to create meaningful experiences for our students that make them choose to stay a Sycamore when they could go anywhere.”
Other key metrics for the spring semester compared to spring 2023 include:
• Full-time undergraduate enrollment has experienced a slight decrease of 1.3% (66 students).
• Part-time undergraduate enrollment has declined by 10.3% (119 students).
• Full-time graduate student enrollment is down by 0.9% (seven students).
• Part-time graduate student enrollment is up 2.1% (18 students).
• Online student enrollment has decreased by 4.9%
(112 students).
• The Indiana State Advantage program awarded over $328,000 in tuition assistance in the 2023 calendar year.
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