BY: CASEY SMITH , INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE
But international student enrollment dropped more than 14% at IU and Purdue — the state’s two largest public university systems.
Initial fall 2025 enrollment numbers reported by Indiana’s public colleges and universities show growth in first-year students at several campuses, even as the state continues to grapple with a consistently low college-going rate.
The announcements come on the heels of new state data showing that just 51.7% of Indiana high school graduates in 2023 went directly to college, continuing a years-long dip in enrollment among Hoosier students.
State leaders have emphasized that the trend highlights a need for more aggressive recruitment, degree program realignment and increased affordability measures as Indiana reshapes its higher education landscape.
The Indiana Commission for Higher Education released data that show overall enrollment at statewide public institutions increased for the fourth consecutive year, growing by over 4,200 students, or approximately 2%, from fall 2024.
“Indiana’s higher education institutions continue to move the needle on increasing enrollment, particularly with resident students,” said Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Chris Lowery. “Through intentional, strategic initiatives geared toward helping our fellow Hoosiers, such as Indiana Pre-Admissions, more Hoosier students and families are being informed of, and choosing to attend, the colleges and universities right here in Indiana.”
Gains reported across public colleges, universities
At Indiana University, overall enrollment climbed to 89,247 students, including 25,308 new undergraduate and graduate students, according to a Sept. 8 news release.
The university welcomed a record 16,636 beginners, a 6.7% increase over last year. IU Bloomington set a new high with 48,626 students, while IU’s online programming topped 10,000 students for the first time.
President Pamela Whitten said in a statement that fall enrollment “affirms that the word is out about the exceptional quality of an IU education.”
Purdue University again broke application records, receiving 86,953 applications for its incoming undergraduate class. Officials called it the most selective class in university history, while also touting Purdue’s highest graduation rate to date.
As of Sept. 16, university officials said8,914 new undergraduate and 3,189 new graduate students are beginning their first semester at the flagship campus in West Lafayette, along with 666 new undergraduates and 30 new graduate students in Indianapolis.
Still, the Journal and Courier reported that both out-of-state and international enrollments declined year-over-year. The rate of admission for out-of-state undergraduates dropped to 39%, down from 45% the prior year — a shift Purdue officials attributed in part to pressures on housing and infrastructure after last year’s unexpected enrollment surge.
Meanwhile, international student enrollment across Purdue’s campuses fell nearly 15% year-over-year. A similar drop in international student enrollment was recorded at Indiana University.
Trevor Peters, a university spokesperson, said that some of the decline reflects a “slightly smaller class” the university opted to admit this cycle, partly in response to the “surprising jump” in enrolled students in recent years, Axios reported.
Visa delays and tightened immigration policies — affecting international enrollments nationally — are also a likely factor.
Indiana State University, meanwhile, reported its largest freshman class in five years, enrolling 1,602 first-time, full-time students — a 13% increase from 2024. Nearly half are first-generation students and more than half are eligible for Pell Grants. Total undergraduate enrollment rose 2% to 6,352. ISU also set a record with 415 students entering its Honors College.
At the University of Southern Indiana, this fall marked the third consecutive year of freshman enrollment growth. USI welcomed 1,367 first-time freshmen, up 3.5% from last year.
University officials said that overall headcount dipped slightly due to small declines in graduate and dual-credit students, but the school highlighted gains in retention and credit hours.
President Steven J. Bridges said “these achievements demonstrate that USI is not only attracting more students but supporting them as they thrive.”
Vincennes University additionally reported “positive enrollment growth.” Headcount at its main campus rose 5% to 2,481 students, the highest since 2023. Enrollment at the Aviation Technology Center in Indianapolis surged 39%, while the Jasper campus saw a 23% jump in new full-time students.
Ivy Tech Community College, the state’s largest postsecondary system, has not yet provided statewide fall 2025 numbers, but some of the community college’s campuses have already reported local gains.
Paula Luff, Ball State University’s vice president for enrollment planning and management, reported that Ball State welcomed 3,733 new freshmen this fall. This is the third consecutive year in which the university has enrolled a freshman class larger than its pre-pandemic average.
More work ahead
The enrollment announcements come amid sweeping changes across Indiana’s higher education system.
Earlier this year, CHE updated its degree review process and schools have already cut or merged hundreds of programs across public campuses. Leaders said the move is meant to ensure “relevance and performance” in degree offerings.
State commissioners have also warned that institutions will need to adapt to shifting student demographics, declining numbers of high school graduates and changes to workforce demands.
Members of the CHE board emphasized earlier this year that Indiana’s higher education landscape will especially require new strategies to attract and retain students.
As part of that effort, Indiana has rolled out a suite of programs.
A major lever is the 21st Century Scholars program, which saw its enrollment more than double after a 2023 law allowed all income-eligible students to be automatically enrolled.
There are already 48,000 ninth-graders in the 2029 cohort,
according to the latest CHE data — although students must still activate their accounts, meet GPA and diploma requirements, and file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
Lawmakers also made FAFSA completion mandatory. About 55% of the Class of 2025 had completed the FAFSA by April 15. But among 21st Century Scholars, the completion rate was closer to 66%, according to CHE. By June 30, those rates rose to 60% and 72%, respectively.
To lift those rates even more, CHE staff said they’re running a statewide FAFSA campaign with in-school “filing days,” mailings, media outreach and social media infographics.
CHE now sends “pre-admissions” letters to eligible high school seniors, too, letting them know they qualify for admission at up to three Indiana colleges. This fall, commission staff expect to send more than 74,000 letters to students at 456 Indiana high schools. Forty-one campuses — 18 public and 22 private — are extending pre-admission offers to eligible students this school year.
Separately, CHE is sending thousands of “Enrollment Ready” letters to the state’s 9th, 10th, and 11th graders to encourage and prepare students to enroll in college after graduation.
Additionally, included in the state’s high school diploma redesign is a new “seal” that officials said should help streamline more college-bound students to Hoosier institutions.
Under a law passed this year, students who graduate with the new diploma and earn an “Enrollment Honors Plus Seal” are automatically admitted to all public colleges. At least 300 Hoosier students in the 2026 cohort are on the path to obtaining that seal as of Sept. 12, according to CHE.
The agency is further pushing earlier outreach through its “Enrollment Ready” initiative and encouraging high schools to offer the 30-credit Indiana College Core, which transfers across campuses and boosts the odds of college enrollment.
CHE officials emphasized that in 2023, 2,625 students earned the College Core — an increase from prior years — and 91% of them enrolled in college.
