Being one of the few colleges in Indiana and nationally with increasing enrollment has its perks, but it also has a downside. Only so many students fit into a physical space. As a result, some students whose credentials would seem strong enough to gain admission to Purdue have received denial letters instead over the past couple of years. That’s not a pleasant letter to receive. Nor is it a pleasant letter to send, especially when jobs for agriculture graduates are plentiful.

“We have come up with a workable solution, and the Purdue admissions people approved it,” Purdue Ag Dean Bernie Engel announced recently. “A number of students — as many as 400, perhaps — will receive acceptance letters into the Purdue College of Agriculture in January 2024 instead of denial or deferral letters. The letter will congratulate them for admission into the Purdue College of Agriculture beginning in January 2025.”

Engel made the announcement at the 2023 Indiana Farm Bureau Convention in Fort Wayne, Ind. “We were waiting on final approval, and now we need to spread the word quickly,” he explained.

Here’s how the adjustment will work. “If the letter tells them they are admitted into the College of Agriculture for January ’25, we can accept them, and they can come on campus for the spring semester in ’25,” Engel said. “Space opens in spring semesters, allowing us to accept more students. At the College of Agriculture, we want to capitalize on it by obtaining those spaces for solid, prospective agriculture students.”

Ken Foster, who served as interim dean until Engel was named in mid-2023, says it will be a great opportunity for many students. He notes that they have the option of enrolling in a community college for the fall ’24 semester, taking basic courses that will transfer to Purdue. In many cases, they could hold down costs, still living at home. Then they will be ready to transition to Purdue for spring ’25.

“It’s an exciting opportunity,” Foster concludes.