TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Indiana State University’s new admissions philosophy focusing on student success produced the result university officials expected — a decline in total enrollment, according to a press release issued by the school Tuesday.
But the institution showed increases in retention, diversity, and academic quality.
Total enrollment is
12,146 for the current academic year.
The change of
approach, which reflects best practices nationwide, emphasizes not how many
students show up as freshmen but how many walk across the stage at graduation
with a degree. That metric is also a priority for the state of Indiana, which
has emphasized student success and graduation through performance funding.
Dr. Jason Trainer,
Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, who joined the university in March,
said the institution is committed to graduating a higher percentage of
Sycamores. It is no longer just about enrolling a large freshman class.
“Our work is
heavily focused on creating environments where students are likely to succeed,”
Trainer said. “The stakes for our students and their families are
life-changing. We serve a student population that includes a high percentage of
first-generation, Pell-eligible and minority students.”
The value of a
degree from Indiana State University shows in what students do next.
“Ninety-five
percent of all Indiana State graduates are employed or pursuing graduate
education within six months of graduation,” Trainer said. “Those graduates are
earning an average salary of more than $47,000.”
As the number of
high school graduates begins to drop across the nation, it is increasingly
difficult to grow enrollments with past practices, Trainer said. ISU’s strategy
is a combination of improving retention rates of current students while
identifying specific initiatives to target growth of traditional, transfer,
graduate, online, and international students.
Students not
admitted are encouraged to attend community college and reapply to Indiana
State in a year or two.
