Community colleges and public universities may be expecting significant increases in enrollment this fall, but they are not the only educational institutions bucking the economic downturn.

Last week, Goshen College Registrar Stan Miller reported a first-time freshmen class of 238 students, the largest for the college in 27 years. There were 239 students in 1982. It is a 39-percent increase over last year’s incoming class. The college has averaged 210 students in its first-year class the past 20 years. The registrar also reported a head count of 974 students in the undergraduate program and a total headcount of 1,017 students, including graduate programs.

“We have much to be thankful for as this school year begins, especially as we have exceeded our own recruitment goals,” said Goshen College President James E. Brenneman. “I am thrilled by this large group of wonderful and varied students who have joined us, and look forward to the ways they will bring their energy, passions and ideas to enhance this Christ-centered community of passionate learners, compassionate peacemakers, servant leaders and global citizens.”

The Goshen College enrollment team attributes the positive numbers to many factors. In this economy it appears students are looking to stay closer to home to save money on travel costs and to increase convenience. However, GC has been successful in getting students from out-of-state to come to the mennonite-based college. Megan Schlabaugh, a first-year student from Kalona, Iowa, said that going to Iowa Mennonite High School made coming to Goshen College a natural fit.

“I just felt really comfortable here,” Schlabaugh said, adding that she has an older sister that is also a student at Goshen, but admits she “would have come here regardless.”

Administers said the college — the only residential liberal arts college in Elkhart County — had taken several steps over the past year to ensure desired recruitment in the midst of unprecedented economic times. They pushed students to apply sooner to get a better understanding of what their financial aid package might be compared with other colleges.

Additional need-based grants were given this year because of the economy. Coaches contributed to the enrollment increase with larger rosters. And the college marketed itself more aggressively in Northern Indiana than ever before, including regional TV spots during this year’s Super Bowl.

“I wanted to go to a bigger school,” said Kristina Lopienski, from Bartlett, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, “but really liked the sense of community here.”

Lopienski is a member of the soccer team and has noticed the sense of community within the team.

“The team has been really welcoming,” she said.

This year’s graduate total includes an all-time high of 43 full- and part-time students enrolled in the college’s two programs — a master of science degree in nursing and a master of education degree in environmental education. Last year, 28 graduate students were enrolled. In addition, 54 students are enrolled in the two Division of Adult and External Studies degree-completion programs — the Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing for registered nurses.

“When looking up where to go to school I knew that Goshen had a really good nursing program,” said Alejandra Guerra, who is from Edinburg, Texas but has family living in Goshen. “So, that definitely played into my decision.”

Retention — a key measure of student satisfaction — also continues to be high at Goshen College. The latest figures show that 85 percent of the 2008-2009 first-year students are enrolled this fall. This marks the seventh year in a row of retention rates at or above 80 percent.

Nationally, the average first-to-second-year retention rate at all U.S. colleges and universities is 68 percent, according to ACT Inc., the nonprofit organization that administers the ACT college preparation test. For private colleges the first-to-second-year retention rate is 69.6 percent; for public colleges, 68 percent.