Manchester Magazine | Spring 2024 Volume 118 | Issue 1 | Spring 2024 | Page 10

“ The priorities and interests of the modern student are changing . Manchester ’ s job is to continue to meet their needs while providing transformative academic and personal experiences ”
MU | Enrollment Initiative

Colleges and universities across the country have spent the last several years facing difficult and complex odds . From declines in enrollment to a general distrust of higher education , schools like Manchester are working to find creative solutions to these ever-growing problems .

Within the past year , Manchester has implemented and expanded a number of initiatives to help make a Manchester education possible for even more students , and to improve both enrollment and the overall student experience at Manchester .
This spring , Manchester University began allowing students with a 2-year associate degree in arts or sciences to transfer to MU by universities in Indiana to accept the Indiana College Core , further strengthening the institution ’ s commitment to acknowledging the prior college-level work students bring to Manchester and helping them graduate on time and with less debt . The Indiana College Core is a set of statewide competencies defined by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education that allow high school students to earn college credit before graduating , while also easing the process of transferring from one higher education institution to another . Previously only accepted by public Indiana colleges and universities , it will now transfer as a block of 30 credit hours applied toward Manchester ’ s general education curriculum .

“ The priorities and interests of the modern student are changing . Manchester ’ s job is to continue to meet their needs while providing transformative academic and personal experiences ”

accepting their degree as a block of 60 credits and fulfilling all general education requirements . Recognizing students ’ prior academic work and making the transition to Manchester as seamless as possible marks a significant step forward for the University ’ s transfer process .
Along with the new associate degree transfer program , Manchester has become one of just five private colleges and
Manchester also offers financial support through the Loan Repayment Assistance Program ( LRAP ), which helps Manchester graduates from local areas with their federal student , parent PLUS and private alternative loans if their income after graduation is below $ 45,000 .
In addition to these initiatives , new academic programs continue to be developed to meet the desires of today ’ s students .
The U . S . Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 6 percent growth in the nursing workforce by 2031 , and Indiana is projected to add more than 5,200 new registered nursing positions between 2020 and 2030 . To address this increased need , Manchester launched its nursing program in 2021 . The program offers two tracks : a traditional four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing ( BSN ) and an accelerated BSN second degree for those who already have a bachelor ’ s degree in another field . The most recent cohort of nursing graduates reported a 100 percent pass rate
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