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August 31, 1999

Purdue sets records for enrollment, boosts quality

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University has broken enrollment records while raising the academic quality of its freshman class for the fall semester.

The Office of the Registrar today (Tuesday, 8/31) announced that total enrollment at the West Lafayette campus is 37,762 students, an increase of 884 from last fall's record enrollment. The first-semester freshman enrollment is 7,341, up from 7,086 first-year students a year ago.

Enrollment at all Purdue campuses is estimated at 66,650, which also would be a new record. The previous record was 66,562 students in 1992. System-wide Purdue enrollment was 65,653 a year ago.

"The academic quality of our new students -- by every measurement -- continues to increase," said Purdue President Steven C. Beering. "The sheer numbers of well-qualified people applying for admission to Purdue is a testimony to the quality of the university's programs. We have worked very hard this year to remain accessible to qualified students, especially those from Indiana, and I believe we have maintained our commitment to the state. Our in-state students represent 73 percent of the undergraduate student body."

Director of Admissions Douglas Christiansen reported that the average SAT score for freshmen at West Lafayette is up 15 points from three years ago. Forty-eight percent of the new students were in the top 20 percent of their high school graduating class; 26 percent were among the top 10 percent. The freshman class will include 185 valedictorians. Purdue also has seen a 23 percent enrollment increase among first-time students who are in the top 5 percent class rank and also scored at least 1360 on their SAT.

The new freshman class is not only more academically prepared, it also is more diverse than last year. Christiansen said freshman enrollment among African American, Asian American, Hispanic and Native American students increased 11.5 percent this fall. There are 25 percent more African American students among the first-semester students than in 1998. He attributed the increase to recruitment programs in which Purdue faculty, staff and current students talk individually with potential students about the opportunities at Purdue.

Thomas B. Robinson, vice president for student services, said the record enrollment reflects not only more new students, but also Purdue's increased retention efforts. Registrar Marlesa Roney is heading a university-wide effort to improve student retention. Ten programs have been implemented over the past two years with the help of a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The effectiveness of the programs continues to be evaluated.

Robinson said balancing admission requests from qualified students with the university's resources is always a challenge.

"Our goal is to provide the best education that our resources can handle," he said. "We try to accommodate as many qualified students as possible, and try not to turn away any deserving Indiana students. We certainly have had to stretch a bit to accommodate 37,762 at West Lafayette, but we've done so by maximizing the use of both space and faculty, even adding some classes and instructors."

Christiansen said that the Office of Admissions quarterbacks the recruitment and admissions process, but the effort is successful because of the work of faculty, staff and current Purdue students in virtually all areas of the university.

"Purdue is a welcoming place that treats its students and their parents as its customers," Christiansen said. "That is evident in the beauty of the campus, the helpfulness of faculty and staff, and the solid academic and support programs we have at Purdue to help a student succeed and launch a career."

Although the projected increase in enrollment earlier prompted Purdue officials to create a waiting list for university housing, that list is dwindling.

John Sautter, the vice president for housing and food services, reports that only 50 female students remain on the waiting list and all have found alternative accommodations.

Roney provided these additional points of comparison for the West Lafayette campus:

  • There are 21,683 men and 16,079 women enrolled.
  • Much of the increase in undergraduate enrollment reflects this fall's junior and senior classes, which were part of large freshman classes in 1996 and 1997. This fall there are 269 more seniors and 108 more juniors than a year ago.

    System-wide, the largest increase appears to be at Purdue programs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, where an estimated 3,850 students registered for classes compared with 3,535 last fall. Registration at several Purdue campuses is continuing this week. Other campus estimates are:

  • Purdue Calumet -- 9,300, a decrease of 35 students from last fall's 9,335.
  • Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne -- 5,990 students in Indiana University programs and about 4,565 students in Purdue programs. The total is down an estimated 98 students from fall 1998.
  • Purdue North Central -- 3,355 students compared with 3,373 a year ago.
  • School of Technology Statewide Delivery System -- 1,775 students, down from 1,879 a year ago. School of Technology classes are taught in Anderson, Columbus, Elkhart, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Lafayette, Muncie, New Albany, Richmond, South Bend and Versailles.
  • West Lafayette extension programs -- 50 students.

    At West Lafayette, most of the increase is in the number of undergraduate students, now 30,835 compared to 30,159 a year ago. The breakdown by school is:

  • Agriculture -- 2,446, down 64.
  • Consumer and Family Sciences -- 1,763, up 9.
  • Education -- 1,395, up 58.
  • Engineering -- 6,036, up 155. Larry Huggins, associate dean of engineering, said applications were up significantly this past year, primarily because of excellent career prospects.
  • Health Sciences -- 932, down 42.
  • Liberal Arts -- 5,925, up 142. David Santogrossi, associate dean, said students and parents have discovered an excellent liberal arts school at Purdue and employers are placing a higher premium on learning skills rather than learned information.
  • Management -- 2,471, up 85.
  • Nursing -- 495 up 75.
  • Pharmacy -- professional and undergraduate, 711 students, up 2.
  • Science -- 3,123, up 55.
  • Technology -- 4,319, up 91. Programs in aviation technology, computer graphics and computer technology filled to capacity early this year, said Ron Burkhardt, director of student services for that school. He said demand for all technology programs was high.
  • Veterinary Medicine -- 126, up 38.
  • University Division and Undergraduate Studies, programs for students who have not decided on a major -- 628 and 502 students, respectively.

    Enrollment in graduate programs increased 124 to 6,137 students. Gary Isom, vice president for research and dean of the graduate school, said Purdue's graduate school enrollment is increasing at a time when many graduate programs across the country are seeing decreases. Among the areas experiencing increases are the programs in information and computer technology.

    Sources: Douglas Christiansen, (765) 494-1776; dlchristiansen@adms.purdue.edu

    Thomas Robinson, (765) 494-5776; tbrobinson@vpss.purdue.edu

    Marlesa Roney, (765) 494-6133; maroney@purdue.edu

    John Sautter, (765) 494-1022; jasautter@hfs.purdue.edu

    Writer: J. Michael Willis, (765) 494-0371, mike_willis@purdue.edu

    Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

    Note to Journalists: Graphics from the Purdue University enrollment report are available from Purdue News Service, (765) 494-2096.

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