September 1, 2004

Dean: Purdue freshman class up, quality best ever

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue's freshman class is up at its main campus, while overall undergraduate enrollment hit its mark at 30,747 and student quality remains high, the university reported today (Wednesday, Sept. 1).

"We enrolled 461 more first-time students, 7,128 in all, to offset our large graduating classes this past year," said Douglas Christiansen, assistant vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions.

Purdue's Graduate School and professional programs, such as pharmacy and veterinary medicine, remained stable, adding 7,906 students to the overall enrollment for a total of 38,653 students at the West Lafayette campus.

Systemwide enrollment is estimated at 68,762, compared with 69,050 a year ago.

"We've very pleased with the quality and number of admissions applications this past year," Christiansen said. "We had 24,003 applicants - 1,000 more than a year ago, including an increase of 440 from Indiana residents."

The average entering freshman student had a 3.4 grade-point average in high school, and 45 percent of the new students had at least a 3.5 grade-point average. The average SAT score of an incoming freshman is about the same as the past two years, at 1149, is 15 points higher than three years ago.

"These scores reflect well on Indiana K-12 schools," Christiansen said. "We have been increasing the expectations we have for incoming students in order to ensure they have the preparation needed to earn a Purdue degree. And Indiana high school students are meeting and exceeding those expectations."

Purdue continues to make gains in undergraduate diversity, with 1,057 African-Americans on campus, up 2.3 percent; 1,547 Asian-Americans, up 5.3 percent; 746 Hispanics, up 4.6 percent; and 137 Native Americans, up 11.4 percent.

"Enrollment among all ethnic groups increased 4.5 percent," Christiansen said. "Another bright spot is that 3,069 women joined the freshman class, up 334 from a year ago."

The number of new international students enrolled is about the same as last year, although the overall total is down 138, to 1,943 undergraduates and 2,978 graduate and professional students.

"Some of the decrease is due to last year's large graduating undergraduate class," said Michael Brzezinski, director of international students and scholars. "While the number of incoming students is slightly less than last year, many prospective students interested in studying in the U.S. are concerned about the lengthy student visa application process. Many of these individuals are fearful that they will not be able to secure a visa in a timely fashion, hence, some choose to study elsewhere. Purdue has taken proactive steps to help prospective international students overcome the visa application obstacle, with some success.

"There are still many highly qualified students interested in studying at Purdue. We believe that our total international student enrollment will still rank Purdue first among U.S. public institutions, despite this decrease."

Academic preparation along with participation in Purdue's comprehensive orientation programs are the best indicators of academic success, said Thomas Robinson, vice president for student services.

"This group of incoming freshmen may be the best prepared for success since I've been at Purdue," Robinson said. "The students not only arrive with the needed academic skills, but two-thirds also took part in our voluntary weeklong Boiler Gold Rush orientation program, which has become a national model.

"This program makes them feel more comfortable and helps them build friendships. Guided with the help of volunteer upperclassmen, Gold Rush is highly social, yet all the programs pack powerful, practical messages that prepare the newcomers for success. All of this leads to better grades, and ultimately to a stronger likelihood of success and graduation."

Graduate school enrollment is 6,982, down from last fall's all-time high of 7,096. The number of new graduate students is about the same as last year, but more students have completed advanced degrees and graduated, said John Contreni, dean of the Graduate School.

In addition, fewer employer-funded students sought admission to the Graduate School, he said.

"Purdue's strategic plan calls for increasing the size of our graduate program," Contreni said. "This is very important if we are going to have the support needed to expand our research mission and faculty base. To accomplish this, we are at work across the campus evaluating our recruitment processes and laying the foundations to grow this area."

At Purdue's other campuses, a growth in credit hours reflected an increase in the number of traditional students applying.

Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne is showing record credit hours enrollment with the addition of it first, 580-bed residence hall. This year, enrollment and credit hours total 11,810 and 120,114 respectively, compared to 11,806 and 117,833 last year.

"Another dynamic is that Purdue last year began a collaborative admission process," Christiansen said. "A student who is academically qualified but not admitted to the West Lafayette campus is offered admission to Purdue's other campuses across the state. That way 1,919 people who otherwise might have been denied admission are directed to Purdue's other campuses.

"We are doing all we can to accommodate our Indiana students who meet Purdue standards."

Other campus totals: