Purdue sets enrollment record on its West Lafayette campus

A burgeoning freshman class has helped lift Purdue University to a record enrollment on its West Lafayette campus.

A campus census released Monday shows more than 43,400 students were enrolled for the fall semester. That's a 4.4 percent increase from the previous record set in fall 2017, when about 41,600 students were enrolled.

Purdue had aimed for a freshmen enrollment this fall of about 7,800 freshmen, but when classes started in August, the school had a record freshman class that topped 8,300, The Journal & Courier reported.

Indiana residents made up 48 percent of the freshman class.

Purdue attributed much of the record enrollment to the freshman class and increasing graduation rates, which mean more students are staying in school for at least four years.