Date: Sept. 12, 2011
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director, Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu

PNC Sets Enrollment and Credit Hour Records

WESTVILLE - Purdue University North Central set all-time enrollment and credit hour records this fall. The 2011 – 2012 academic year opened Monday, Aug. 22 with a record 5,279 students enrolled in a record 48,842 credit hours for the fall semester.

This represents a 14 percent increase in students over the fall semester of 2010.

Undergraduate degree-seeking students are taking an average of 11.6 credit hours each. In addition, the average PNC undergraduate degree-seeking student is 25 years old. There are 2,146 males and 3,133 females enrolled. PNC has 1,646 students from LaPorte County and 1,982 students from Porter County.

This semester, there are 1,644 students taking 7,349 credit hours through the Dual Credit/Concurrent Enrollment program. This allows high school students to earn both high school and Purdue University credits while they take classes in their high school during the regular school day. Enrollment in this program saw a 163 percent increase in students over the 642 students enrolled in 2010. PNC works with 43 Northwest Indiana high schools to offer Dual Credit/Concurrent Enrollment classes.

“We are happy to welcome a record number of students to Purdue North Central,” said Chancellor Dr. James B. Dworkin. “It is heartening to see so many area high school students choosing to enroll in our Dual Credit/Concurrent Enrollment program. These students know the value of higher education and have already committed themselves to earning their college degrees.”

Of the 560 first-time, full-time degree seeking freshmen enrolled at PNC this fall, 110 students earned Dual Credit/Concurrent Enrollment credits while in high school. These students entered PNC with an average of nine college credits.

PNC has 64 students enrolled in its Saturday Master of Business Administration program, offered at PNC – Porter County in Valparaiso. PNC – Porter County also offers a full schedule of undergraduate courses. This semester, 541 students are enrolled in 2,820 credit hours of classes there.

Dworkin noted that the PNC enrollment has continued to rise throughout his 11 years as chancellor, “ Today, earning a bachelor's degree is crucial to one's future success. At PNC, w e are committed to providing all of our students an unmatched learning environment so that they graduate ready to succeed in their chosen careers.”