Record number of full time students enrolled this fall

Purdue University Calumet’s objective to graduate more students has taken a promising step forward as a record number of full time students are enrolled this fall.

Though overall enrollment of 9,325 is down from last fall’s record setting total of 9,607, some 62 percent of current enrollees (5,736) are carrying full course loads. The full time student total represents a 129-student increase (2.3 percent) from last year.

“Graduating more students is a strategic priority of the state of Indiana and Purdue Calumet,” Chancellor Howard Cohen said. “A vital step toward that end is increasing the number of focused, motivated students who are making their pursuit of a Purdue degree on our campus a full time priority.”

Despite the decrease in head count from a year ago, Purdue Calumet students are enrolled in more credit hours than last fall’s student body (95,540, up 851).

This fall’s enrollment data also shows continued increases among non-Indiana residents, including international students. Some 1,446 out-of-state students attend Purdue Calumet compared to 1,324 last year. International enrollees total 464, up from 387 last fall.

“We have been successful expanding our student recruitment base and attracting top high school graduates,” Registrar/Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services Anne Agosto-Severa said. “Our student body includes 73 Chancellor’s Scholars who were valedictorians or salutatorians of their high school graduating classes. The average SAT score of our freshman class also continues to rise.”

Among other enrollment data:

• Students of color total 3,039 and include a record number of Hispanic American students (1,312).
• There are 7,879 in-state students.
• Female students outnumber males, 5,274 to 4,051.

Also, there are 1,069 students taking classes at the university’s Academic Learning Center (ALC) in Merrillville, up 2.5 percent (26 students) from the previous year.

For the third straight year, Purdue Calumet’s 376-student apartment complex, The University Village, opened to 100 percent capacity with a waiting list. A second apartment complex, with accommodations for 369 students, is on schedule to open next fall.

Academic departments reporting enrollment increases are: Electrical & Computer Engineering (29 students, 14.1 percent); Behavioral Sciences (25, 2.2 percent); Chemistry & Physics (17, 31.5 percent); Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics (15, 11.2 percent); Mechanical Engineering (12, 14.1 percent); Nursing (11, 2.1 percent); Biological Sciences (9, 2.1 percent) and Foreign Language & Literatures (4, 6.3 percent)

News Release Date: September 12, 2008