IU Southeast sets fall enrollment mark

The New Albany Tribune staff reports

Indiana University Southeast set an all-time high for enrollment at the New Albany campus for the fall semester.

With 6,840 students enrolled, IU Southeast beat its previous enrollment record of 6,716, set in 2002, a press release from the university says. Enrollment is 358 students more than 2008's 6,482 for a year-over-year increase of 5.5 percent.

The university also saw its largest freshman class in history - 1,094 first year students - beating last year's record of 1,070.

Those students are taking more classes, as evidenced by IU Southeast recording the highest number of credit hours ever with 69,323.5 - an 8.2 percent increase over 2008.

"The strong growth IU Southeast has experienced during the past two years undoubtedly is due to a number of factors, including the growing reputation of our campus, the student residence halls, our affordability, high-quality programming and people's need to re-educate themselves for new jobs in recessionary times," said Chancellor Sandra R. Patterson-Randles in her recent annual state of campus address.

IU Southeast's financial support for students is also increasing. For the 2009-10 school year, disbursed financial aid is up 37 percent to a total of $12.7 million. The number of students receiving financial aid is up 688 students or 30 percent, and the number of FAFSAs received is up 22 percent.