Indiana Tech is enjoying another year of significant growth with the total enrollment for fall 2009 11% higher than the previous year, increasing from about 4,400 in 2008 to 4,900 in 2009.
The university’s total enrollment includes traditional students at the main campus in Fort Wayne as well as students in the College of Professional Studies at campuses throughout the state and online.
Indiana Tech Enrollment
Fall 2009 Fall 2008
Traditional 998 902
CPS 3,900 3,502
Total 4,898 4,404
With the current enrollment figures, Indiana Tech is closing in on two significant milestones: 1,000
students in the traditional program and 5,000 total students.
The traditional program at the main campus in Fort Wayne has shown steady growth for several years. The current enrollment is 998 students, an increase of 57% from the 636 students enrolled just five years ago. This year’s enrollment includes 406 new students, an increase of 13% over last year’s incoming class and the largest group of new students in more than 40 years.
“Indiana Tech is thriving because we are committed to our goal of becoming a more comprehensive university,” said Dr. Arthur Snyder, Indiana Tech president. “We’ve added degree programs that are in demand by students and employers. We’ve made tremendous physical improvements to our campus. We’ve increased the number of student activities and sports programs. All of these things add up to more reasons for students to choose Tech.”
The university’s response to a shortfall in state grants also has played a factor in this fall’s enrollment. When the state announced in late July that grants awarded through the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) would be cut 31%, Indiana Tech promised students that the university would fund the difference between previously estimated grants and actual grants.
“It’s hard to know exactly how many students chose Indiana Tech because of the grant funding, but many students have said they don’t know what they would have done without our help,” Snyder explained.
The College of Professional Studies is showing growth in several areas, especially online pro-
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grams. The university currently has 410 students who are primarily online students compared to only 58 at this time last year. This number is expected to grow even more through efforts to recruit students in the military. Indiana Tech is ranked in the top 15% of military friendly schools by G.I. Jobs magazine and offers generous benefits through the Yellow Ribbon program as well as scholarships for active service members and their spouses. Unlike many other colleges and universities, Indiana Tech has no limit on the number of students who can take advantage of Yellow Ribbon benefits and the university will contribute up to $10,000 per year toward tuition costs for those students.
“Serving in the military is something to proud of, and it lays a great foundation of life experience,” Snyder said. “But adding a college education to that experience really helps an individual be successful in civilian life or as they advance in the armed forces. We’re doing all we can to help by making our programs affordable and accessible online.”
Growth also has come through the addition of the Ph.D. in Global Leadership, which debuted in August with 30 students.
“The success of the Ph.D. programs shows that there is a thirst for higher education,” Snyder said. “We’re proud that all of our programs – traditional, accelerated, online, in class, undergraduate, graduate – are filling a need, and we look forward to the continued success of our students.”
