Connections Archive

Kristin Thiele
Public relations assistant

Enrolment at Avondale College remains steady--up on the same time this past year but down on the record in first semester.

Some 1248 students are studying at Avondale this semester, compared to 1200 in semester two 2006. The increase is due largely to the extra HECS places available to nursing students. Enrolment in the nursing program has increased 20 per cent this past year.

However, the number of students is down slightly compared to the record 1275 who studied at Avondale in semester one this year. Data analyst Chris Thiele is not too concerned. "Most years, student enrolment is down second semester," he says. "The reason is the number of withdrawals from first semester is bigger than the number of enrolments in second semester."

Many students from North America often enrol in second semester, however the strength of the Australian dollar means the number of overseas students on campus is lower than usual.

The Bachelor of Education (primary) and Bachelor of Nursing remain the most popular courses, with each enrolling more than 200 students. "There is a need for teachers and nurses," says Chris, "and Avondale has a great reputation in these areas of study. With more financial help available to students, you can understand that they'd want to come here."