First day of classes at IUK on Aug 22, 2016. Staff photo by Tim Bath | Kokomo Tribune
Though Indiana University saw an overall decrease in enrollment this year, the Kokomo campus is continuing to grow.
IU enrolled 94,698 students, down 0.7 percent from last year. IUK enrolled 3,029, up 2.3 percent from last year.
Other campuses saw decreases as high as 4.4 percent.
Todd Gambill, vice chancellor of student affairs and enrollment management, said there are a number of reasons the Kokomo campus saw an increase, including the addition of new sports and programs.
“I think it’s a continuation of a really strong run of four or five years in which IU Kokomo is becoming more of a destination of choice,” Gambill said, adding that the campus is not only seeing more students, they’re seeing students with higher SAT scores.
“We’re very proud of the increased attention and the increase number of applications, and it’s not just the number of applications but applications coming from some really strong students,” he said.
Starting this semester, the campus is offering a new computer science degree and a sports nutrition program, in addition to a new baseball team. Gambill said the additional sports and course offerings have been a draw, but its traditional programs, especially nursing, continue to attract large amounts of students.
He added that the campus’ tuition also likely plays a role in the strong enrollment numbers. IUK charges just under $216 per credit hour for in-state undergraduate students, which equates to $3,240 for a student taking 15 hours per semester. At IU Bloomington, in-state students taking fewer than 12 credit hours pay $287.76 per credit hour, and students taking between 12 and 18 hours pay a flat fee of $4,604.83.
“Obviously, higher education is expensive,” Gambill said. “But that being said, I feel really good about the value that we offer. Students can get an Indiana University degree and it’s about $7,300 a year.”
Gambill said the Kokomo campus has seen an increasingly large number of students enrolling straight out of high school, though traditionally the university has served more adults.
“An important part of our mission is serving the adult student, and we still do a lot of that; however, the growth that we’ve seen has been in the 18-year-old market,” he said.
They’ve also enrolled a more diverse group of students, with a rise in Latino and black students, he said.
“We’re excited about that, too,” he said. “That just makes this a richer environment for all students to learn.”
© 2024 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.