The number of students enrolled at Indiana University East is again on the increase this fall. The campus welcomed its second largest incoming class, and one of its most diverse, when classes started August 26.

IU East students walk between Tom Raper Hall and the quad.

The campus has a fall headcount enrollment of 3,766 students (an increase of 1.2 percent) taking 38,812 credit hours (an increase of 1.2 percent). Of the students enrolled, 3,271 are degree-seeking (an increase of 2.3 percent), with the remaining 495 seeking certificates or enrolled in individual courses.

IU East Chancellor Kathy Cruz-Uribe said the campus continues to see an increase in across several demographics.

“Many of the areas we continue to see increases in enrollment signify the top reasons students share about choosing IU East, ” Cruz-Uribe. “We provide a globally recognized, high-quality degree at an affordable cost. Students know that they can stay in the region, close to their home towns, but yet have the academic and campus experience they want. Our online students receive the same commitment, and this makes our programs attractive to students worldwide.”

The diversity of students on the IU East campus continues to increase. The campus set a new record enrollment for the number of degree-seeking domestic minorities at 479 students (a 16 percent increase from 2018). This reflects the campus’ largest number of African-American students at 173. The campus also continues to see high numbers of Hispanic/Latino students with a record number 137 enrolled.

The number of new students this year – combining members of the incoming freshman class and the number of transfer students – is 864 students of the 3,766 enrolled at IU East. This is IU East’s second largest degree-seeking freshman class at 451; last year’s incoming freshman class reached 455.

Another increasing demographic for IU East is the number of students enrolled in graduate programs. There are students enrolled in graduate certificate and master’s degree programs, an increase of 25 percent. The number of master’s degree-seeking students increased by 21 percent (105 enrolled) this fall. IU East offers six graduate programs in education, English, management, nursing, social work and teaching mathematics.

IU East’s primary mission is to provide bachelor’s and graduate education to students in eastern Indiana and western Ohio. The campus offers a variety of online course options for students, providing students with flexibility in completing their degree programs. As a result, many IU East students take a mix of online and on-campus courses.

Online degree completion programs also continue to grow at IU East. Of the students enrolled, 79.3 percent (2,989) take at least one course online. In addition to individual online courses, the campus also offers 14 bachelor’s degree online completion program options, as well as Graduate Certificates in Composition Studies, Early Childhood Education and Mathematics.

Enrollment by county for Indiana shows the highest number of IU East students are from Wayne County, followed by Randolph, Henry, Dearborn, Fayette, Franklin, Rush and Union counties. IU East also enrolls a number of students from Ohio as part of a tuition reciprocity agreement, including students primarily from Preble, Darke, Butler, Shelby and Mercer counties.

The number of international students enrolled at IU East is the highest it has been, with students from across the globe including Brazil, Canada, China, Hungary, Japan, Mexico, Poland and South Korea.

Official enrollment numbers were released by Indiana University on September 2.