Charles Darwin University has posted a record year for enrolments in its higher education offerings.
CDU Vice-Chancellor Professor Barney Glover said the university grew higher education enrolments by nine per cent this year, lifting the total number of higher education students to 7445.
This was the third successive year in which CDU had grown its higher education enrolments, Professor Glover said.
“This sustained growth is significantly above average for Australia’s higher education sector,” he said.
Courses proving most popular with students in 2009 included nursing, behavioural science, law, teaching and the tertiary enabling program.
New courses also attracting strong student interest included the Bachelor of Engineering Co-Op and the Diploma of Engineering.
Professor Glover said increased interest in CDU offerings was also reflected in the number of students starting their degrees in Summer Semester, which began earlier this month.
“The number of students who applied to start studying in Summer Semester was up by almost 37 per cent, compared with 2008,” he said.
This year also marked the third consecutive year in which Summer Semester enrolments had grown.
“CDU is one of only a few universities in Australia that allows students to start a degree during Summer Semester,” Professor Glover said.
“Students clearly want to use the traditional Summer break to get a head start and we are helping them to do that.”
The university also had eight per cent more VET students in 2009 compared with the previous year, taking CDU’s total student enrolment to more than 21,000.