WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Students interested in transferring to Purdue University can use a new online tool to help them evaluate any credits that might transfer.

“In addition to the transfer credit database that will help prospective students determine if credit from other institutions will transfer to Purdue, this also will help current students evaluate whether a course they want to take at a hometown school during summer break will be accepted,” said Karan Bowerman, an assistant director who supervises credit evaluation in the Office of Admissions.

The transfer credit database, as well as information about transferring credit to Purdue, can be found at http://www.admissions.purdue.edu under the “Applying” header.

In the past, students relied on Purdue credit evaluation staff to provide a report. This new public site allows students to plug in a course name and number from another institution. The database immediately lets the user know if the course will be accepted.

This database also covers classes taken at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis because many of the courses there are offered by Indiana University. The credit evaluation is not applicable to Purdue’s Calumet, Fort Wayne and North Central regional campuses courses at those locations are offered by Purdue.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University on Friday (Sept. 11) reported its enrollment numbers and that the system-wide total increased this year.

Purdue’s total enrollment, which includes the West Lafayette campus, Purdue Calumet, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Purdue North Central and the statewide technology sites, is 74,319 compared to 71,984 a year ago. More than 54,000 – or nearly 73 percent – of the students are Indiana residents.

“The growing enrollment at the regional campuses demonstrates there are multiple pathways to a Purdue education,” Purdue President France A. Córdova said.

Statewide campus enrollment totals include:

• Purdue Calumet, 10,133
• Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, 13,675
• Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 4,964 enrolled in Purdue programs
• Purdue North Central, 4,463
• Statewide Technology, 1,387. College of Technology degrees are offered in Anderson/Muncie, Columbus/Greensburg, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Lafayette, New Albany, Richmond, South Bend and Vincennes.

Purdue also reported that the academic quality of its freshman class at the West Lafayette campus increased for the fourth year in a row.

This year’s freshman class of 6,171 students is composed of 3,808 Indiana residents, 1,673 U.S. non-residents and 690 international students. SAT scores for this freshman class increased by 11 points: eight points for math, one point for critical reading and two for writing. This year’s increase comes on the heels of the 13-point increase attained by last year’s incoming freshmen for a cumulative increase of 24 points over the two-year period. The average high school grade point average this year remained at 3.5.

“Our freshman class is well prepared to succeed at Purdue,” said Randy Woodson, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. “I am very excited to see what these students will be able to accomplish while they are here.”

Overall, almost 10,000 Indiana residents applied for freshman admission to the West Lafayette campus, and all but about 200 were offered admission within the Purdue system.

“The economy has been an issue for all colleges and universities this year, and despite these tough times, Purdue’s West Lafayette campus had its second highest application volume ever,” said Pamela Horne, assistant vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions. “I think the value of a Purdue degree is clear.”

The value of a Purdue degree also continues to be recognized internationally. The number of international undergraduate students at the West Lafayette campus increased from 2,360 last year to 2,818 this year.

The continued interest in Purdue from international students is a sign of Purdue’s outstanding international reputation, said Michael Brzezinski, interim vice provost for global affairs and dean of international programs. In addition, the presence of students from all over the world enhances the experience for Indiana and other American students.

“This prepares Purdue graduates to compete and cooperate in a global economy,” he said. “International students also become Purdue alumni, and they often return to their home countries where they share their positive experiences in America and Indiana.”

Other West Lafayette enrollment highlights:

• Total undergraduates: 31,145
• Undergraduate residency: Indiana students, 20,079; U.S. non-Indiana students, 8,248; and International students, 2,818
• Ethnicity overall: African-American students, 1,360; Hispanic students, 1,107; Native American students, 183; and Asian American students, 2,010
• Total international students: 5,990
• Graduate school: 7,639
• Professional programs (Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy): 913
• Incoming transfer students: 1,253
• Women: 16,731, and men, 22,966

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A federal award to fund the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute validates Indiana’s position as a biomedical research leader, and citizens across Indiana and beyond will benefit, say Hoosier life sciences leaders.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a five-year grant of $25 million to the IU School of Medicine to fund Indiana CTSI activities at Indiana and Purdue Universities. The NIH created the clinical and translational awards program as a high priority effort to improve the process by which the laboratory discoveries of basic science are transformed into new medical treatments and products – a process called translational research.

Officials at the NIH said the Indiana CTSI is one of the most broadly collaborative of the more than two dozen such programs it has funded to date, with community partners including Clarian Health, Eli Lilly and Co., BioCrossroads, Cook Group, Roche, Wellpoint, the Indiana Economic Development Corp., the Indiana Department of Health and the Marion County Health Department.

“The institute harnesses all of Indiana’s major life sciences research centers into a commonly focused enterprise that will give Indiana’s research scientists many new advantages in finding ways to do their work more effectively and efficiently,” said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. “Over the long term, this will have an enormously positive impact on the state and will make laboratories at both IU and Purdue far more competitive for the major research awards of the future.”

“This partnership creates the only national clinical and translational sciences institute that’s a statewide research laboratory, and the National Institutes of Health acknowledged that,” said France A. Córdova, president of Purdue. “This unique structure means Purdue and Indiana university researchers can address the human health needs of the entire state, especially those in our more rural communities.”

One key to the success of the Indiana CTSI will be its ability to go beyond translating scientific discoveries to treatments and standard health care practices, said Anantha Shekhar, M.D., Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at IU School of Medicine and IU assistant vice president for life sciences, who has been named director of the Indiana CTSI.

“We will build systems that facilitate all levels of research and provide community feedback to researchers. This will enable the researchers to improve and refine the conduct of their science and improve care of their patients. We call it the “translational circle,’ ” Dr. Shekhar said.

Connie Weaver, Ph.D., head of the Department of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue, has been named deputy director of the CTSI at Purdue. Bennett Bertenthal, Ph.D., dean of the IU College of Arts and Sciences, has been named deputy director for the IU Bloomington campus.

D. Craig Brater, M.D., vice president for life sciences of IU and dean of the IU School of Medicine, noted that the institute represents the future of biomedical research.

“The health issues facing us are enormous, the science is complex, and resources must be used carefully. Just as the emphasis on translational science is of vital importance, so are broad-based partnerships and collaborations keys to our success in Indiana. Both are epitomized by the CTSI,” Dr. Brater said.

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