Transfer students may still apply for the fall. Applications from freshmen will be processed for spring semester, and university officials suggest those students could attend Ivy Tech State College this fall and then transfer to Ball State in the spring.

"We want to make sure our freshmen have a positive experience on campus, and cutting off enrollment ensures we have adequate housing and class offerings for them," said Douglas McConkey, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management. "We also want to help those students we had to turn away, so we've alerted officials at Ivy Tech that they should expect to see an increase in the number of students we refer to them this year."

Ball State and Ivy Tech have set a curriculum through their Connect Program that allows students to complete one or two semesters and up to 30 credit hours with a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), then receive automatic acceptance to transfer to Ball State.

University officials sent out postcards two weeks ago notifying students who had been admitted that they must pay their $50 enrollment deposit by May 17 or face having their enrollment delayed because of space considerations. More than 4,000 high school seniors had already paid the deposit before the postcard went out, and nearly 80 more replied by phone or Internet after receiving it, McConkey said.

"Based upon trends from the past four years, comparing the number of students who paid their enrollment deposits and the actual number who arrived on campus, it looks like our freshman class will be somewhere between 3,925 and 3,980 students," McConkey said. "This tells us our long term plan is being realized."

In 1998, the university increased its enrollment standards and saw the numbers of incoming freshmen decrease. This would be the first year since 1997 that the freshman class topped 3,900 students, which bears out predictions made in 1998 that enrollment would return to previous levels after an initial decline, McConkey said.

"We are very pleased with where the university is headed, and now we will begin to assess what Ball State's capacity will be for next year," he said.

While college enrollment is up across the country, McConkey believes the university's marketing plan has helped recruit academically stronger students.

"We feel they are well prepared to handle the rigors of a university curriculum," McConkey said.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information about this story, contact McConkey at (765) 285-1444 or dmcconkey@bsu.edu.)