This spring, Indiana University East is continuing to see enrollment increases over last spring across key areas including credit hours taken, new transfer students, transfers from Ivy Tech Community College in Richmond, new first-year students, and online courses enrollments. This represents the 18th consecutive term (including summers) with growth in campus credit hours over the previous year.

Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Larry Richards explained, “credit hours are our bread and butter when it comes to financial stability, with about two-thirds of our operating budget now coming from tuition revenue.”

While official student headcount (3,856) dipped by 16 students relative to last spring, the number of credit hours IU East students are taking this spring has increased by 1 percent (35,768.5). The lower headcount is attributable largely to changes made in local high schools that affected the availability of dual credit courses offered through Indiana University’s Advanced College Project.

The number of new transfer students at IU East increased this spring by 32 percent compared to spring 2012, new transfers from Ivy Tech Community College in Richmond by 44 percent, and new first-year students by 11 percent.

Richards said, “one challenge we have had in maintaining our growth is that we are graduating so many more students in recent years. In order to show growth, we have to add new students to replace those graduating, on top of increases beyond what we did in past years. This is a good problem to have and why I am so glad to see the significant increases in new first-year and transfer students.”

IU East continues to expand its online degree programs and course offerings. The campus now offers 11 bachelor’s degree options that can be earned all or in part online, as well as a graduate certificate in Composition Studies, with more programs and courses on the way. As a result, IU East enrolled students from 41 states plus the District of Columbia and 14 foreign countries this spring, the most ever in both categories.

“IU East has been and continues to be a leader in the delivery of online education”, said Richards. “This form of education is constantly evolving, and we are staying on top of it. As a side benefit, it has allowed us to widen considerably our exposure and begin to internationalize our student body. I like to think that we are playing at least a small role in helping put Richmond, Indiana, on the national and even international map.”