BLOOMINGTON — A new school year is underway in Bloomington and there are officially more Hoosiers on campus than ever before.
Indiana University officially counted 48,626 undergraduates at its flagship campus, including a freshman class of just more than 10,000 students.
"It's exciting to see that people do want to come to IU," said Brenda Stopher, the university's vice president of student enrollment. "That says we're doing something right."
More than 5,000 freshmen in Bloomington are from Indiana, which means there are slightly more in-state students than out-of-state students in the incoming class.
Isaiah Julkes, a freshman from East Chicago, said staying in-state to attend IU was his childhood dream.
"In my household, I saw a lot of IU stuff. My mom has IU mugs and IU everything," said Julkes, who is studying kinesiology. "I'm very, very excited. I'm ready to embark on my journey as far as getting these prerequisites out of the way."
Jorana Banzeviciute, a junior from the Northwest Indiana town of Chesterton, said she has no regrets about staying in the Hoosier State for her studies.
"I'm an international studies major and this is a little global club in Indiana," Banzeviciute said. "You don't get that easily, especially in the Midwest, that's just so amazing. Having that interest while not having to travel far and be close to my family, it really struck me."
Stopher said in-state retention is not just important for Indiana University, but for the state itself after the students graduate.
"We're going to help bring well-educated, prepared students to the workforce needs of Indiana," Stopher said.
Beyond Bloomington, IU recorded more than 89,000 students across all of its campuses. When counting all IU branches, more than 70 percent of students are from Indiana.
-
Monroe County cancels homeless camp eviction on county-owned land
Monroe County hoped to remove a homeless community between Switchyard Park and RCA Community Park before Christmas. Instead, the tents will remain for the foreseeable future.
Damien Center urges lawmakers to extend Indiana needle exchange programs
Each year, the Damien Center says they have about 5,000 visits from people in need of clean needles.
Brownsburg APC to vote on Hawks Landing subdivision amid resident concerns
Proposed development would bring more than 100 homes near Green Street and Acre Lane, with neighbors raising concerns about traffic and its proximity to Oinking Acres.
Report ranks Indiana worst in the country for roads
A new survey of truck drivers and owner-operators ranks Indiana as having the worst roads in the country.
