Another Year of Record Student Enrollments for Summer Sessions

by Susan Sullivan
August 26, 2013

A 25 percent discount on summer tuition offered by Indiana University—combined with a concerted effort to inform students and the public about the benefits of taking classes during the summer months—helped Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC) increase its summer enrollments again this year.

The number of IUPUC undergraduate students rose 6.4 percent in 2013 and 9.4 percent for graduate students, an average increase of 6.6 percent this year compared to 2012. When compared to 2011, this summer’s enrollments rose an average of 11.5 percent for all students.

The growth in the number of summer students at IUPUC comes at a time when enrollments at larger IU campuses—including IU Bloomington, IU Northwest, IU South Bend, and IU Southeast—have decreased over the past two years.

According to Denise Jennings, director of registrar services and chair of the university’s enrollment management committee, the increase is IUPUC’s largest since at least 2005.

“We want to help students understand the benefits of earning a bachelor’s degree in four years. Taking summer courses helps many of them meet that goal,” reported Jennings.

By graduating on time, students move more quickly into the next phase of their professional lives, whether that is employment and a career in their chosen field or advanced studies and graduate school. In addition, students are able keep their student loan debt to a minimum and obtain gainful employment at higher salary levels sooner.

Students from other universities also took classes in Columbus this summer. “We saw an increase in the number of college students who live in the area with parents during the summer and who chose to take classes at IUPUC,” Jennings said, noting that any resident undergraduate student from Indiana was eligible for the IU discount.

Personal advising, offering a good selection of summer courses, and more emphasis on promoting summer classes through Web-based communications, direct mail, and advertising also contributed to the increase. Having more students on campus for summer sessions enables the university to make greater use of its facilities.

For more information about IUPUC, visit www.iupuc.edu.