Yearly Overview

A year we will not forget

Dear friends,

This is not a typical year—and thus, this will not be our typical overview. This year has been challenging in so many different ways. We continue to face two pandemics: COVID-19 and the racial and social injustice still prevalent in our country. The weight of these pandemics, coupled with the economic impacts of each, are heavy burdens for so many. For some students, the dream of a college education is even further away. Some students have had to make tough decisions to help support their families or to support their continued academic pursuits.

We have redoubled our focus on current students and future students to support them in their academic journey by working to enhance several areas of support—being the first Big Ten university to become test optional in admissions (just prior to COVID-19), enhancing financial aid to support residents with need in meeting their tuition and fees, updating award winning diversity recruitment initiatives that lead students from a precollege experience to an IU classroom, strengthening the Hoosier Experience for first year students, and continuing to provide world-class services to our students with the launch of AI in student services and recruitment.

As a state institution, we are compelled to provide opportunity for all Hoosiers to be considered for an IU education, and our forward thinking decision to become test optional admissions helped us to be prepared for the pandemic recruitment cycle of 2021.  We are also providing more financial aid to help our students who need it most. We launched new and innovative scholarship/financial aid programs—with 66 percent of the beginner class receiving gift aid.

And, as you can see in the charts below, our enrollment management team has been able to welcome 7,928 new students to the university by pivoting tours, academic presentations, and new student orientation to be online, reaching out as much as possible by old-school (albeit, not old-school to me) methods like the phone, and creating such engaging content online that students continued to say "Yes!" to IU. We also assisted the campus with the 2020 fall start by providing extensive planning support for physically distanced classrooms, different modalities of instruction, and modifying the schedule of classes to name just a few of the lifts made to support students.

Our goal this year—post March—was to welcome a class that we could support on campus and online, not only during their first-year but also throughout their IU career. It is a primary mission of the university to serve our in-state Hoosier students by offering them the ideal choice for their academic experience—with Indiana residents making up 59 percent of our beginner class, we are proud so many Hoosiers call IU home. Additionally, we welcomed 1,507 underrepresented students—a record number and also a record 20 percent of our beginner class. No matter the circumstances, Hoosiers know that IU is built to meet the challenges we face, big or small. As we look ahead to 2021, it is the lessons we learned from 2020 upon which we will build a greater future for our students as they and we continue to seek light and truth through IU. 

Together we are #IUStrong!

My best to each of you,

David B. Johnson
Vice Provost for Enrollment Management

Use the arrows to see more beginner class stats.
Beginner Enrollment by Intended School or College graphic show 7,875 for 2015, 7,673 for 2016, 8,001 for 2017, 8,097 for 2018, 8,291 for 2019, and 7,928 for 2020.
Beginner by Residency graph shows 57% or 4,509 domestic, 34% or 2,660 domestic: non-resident and 9% or 706 international in 2015. 56% or 4,369 domestic, 34% or 2,633 domestic: non-resident, and 671 or 9% international in 2016. 55% or 4,407 domestic, 36% 2,906 domestic: non-resident, and 9% or 688 in 2017. 58% or 4,660 domestic, 35% or 2,857 domestic: non-resident, and 7% or 580 international in 2018. 56% or 4,666 domestic, 38% or 3,133 domestic: non-resident, and 6% or 492 international in 2019. 59% or 4,708 domestic, 37% or 2,945 domestic: non-resident and 3% or 275 international in 2020.
Beginner Median High School GPA graph shows a GPA of 3.76 in 2015, 3.79 in 2016, 3.83 in 2017, 3.83 in 2018, 3.85 in 2019, and 3.87 in 2020
Beginner Mean SAT/ACT Converted graph shows a score of 1273 in 2015, 1277 in 2016, 1284 in 2017, 1283 in 2018, 1285 in 2019, and 1270 in 2020.
Beginner U.S. Underrepresented Minority graph show 17% or 1,185 in 2015, 17% or 1,186 in 2016, 17% or 1,244 in 2017, 18% or 1,358 in 2018, 19% or 1,450 in 2019, and 20% or 1,507 in 2020.
The 33 Countries Represented in the Beginner Class map shows the top 5 as China, India, South Korea, Taiwan and Canada
Beginner Gift Aid Recipients graph shows 63% or 4,971 students in 2015, 64% or 4,882 students in 2016, 64% or 5,088 students in 2017, 64% or 5,190 students in 2018, and 65% or 5,414 students in 2019, and 66% or 5,245 students in 2020
Graph showing number of Beginner students with incoming credits shows 70% or 5,477 in 2015, 70% or 5,394 in 2016, 73% or 5,847 in 2017, 71% or 5,788 in 2018, 73% or 6,073 in 2019, and 72% or 5,718 in 2020.
Beginner Enrollment by Intended or College graphic show 3,001at Kelly School of Business, 2,147 at College of Arts + Science, 432 at School of Public Health, 371 at Luddy School of Informatics Computing, and Engineering, 332 at Media school, 316 as Exploratory, 300 at School of Nursing, 245 at O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, 203 at Jacobs School of Music, 195 at School of Education, 164 at Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, 151 at Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, 30 at School of Social Work, 26 at Arts + Sciences & Public and Environmental Affairs Combined Program, and 15 at Luddy School of Informatics & Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies Combined Program.

Learn more about the goals and accomplishments of the Office of Enrollment Management

Previous Overviews