Ivy Tech Community College has set a record for statewide enrollment with a 10.3 percent increase in its number of students for the start of the fall semester, school officials said.

The 23-campus system had 77,013 students enrolled across the state for Tuesday's start of classes, with the number of credit hours being taken going up by 11.5 percent.

The Sellersburg campus in southern Indiana saw a nearly 11 percent increase to 3,909 students, with double-digit percentage increases in fields such as education, criminal justice, business administration and accounting, said Terry Nolot, the enrollment dean for the campus.

Lisha Hessig, a 25-year-old Salem resident, is among the new students in the office administration program at Sellersburg.

"It's cheap, and I got financial aid," she said Wednesday. Enrollment increases were seen at Ivy Tech campuses across the state as Fort Wayne was up 7 percent and the northwestern Indiana sites up more than 3 percent.

Ivy Tech's Bloomington campus had 5,018 students enrolled as of Tuesday, a nearly 10 percent increase from last fall, when enrollment was 4,570.

"Since 2002, we have nearly doubled our campus population, and we are serving a student head count that was not predicted until 2011," Bloomington campus Chancellor John Whikehart said.

While the Fort Wayne campus has added space by acquiring some buildings at the former Fort Wayne State Developmental Center, it still has health programs that are not yet being offered until sufficient laboratory space can be provided, region Chancellor Mark Keen.

The Sellersburg campus, meanwhile, is planning a $20 million expansion project that could be completed in 2009.