WINONA LAKE – At a time when increasing enrollment in higher education is challenging, Grace College once again achieved a record-breaking enrollment of 2,187 total students, a 14.9 percent increase over the 2013 enrollment of 1,904. Grace welcomed 426 new on-campus students compared to 399 in 2013.

In addition to the record new student enrollment, Grace has experienced excellent student retention. There are three main contributing factors creating such high student retention. The first is a dedicated and caring faculty and staff. The second is an innovative three-year accelerated degree program, launched in 2011, that spans all 65 majors and allows students to graduate sooner, save a year’s tuition, and enter the workforce a year earlier. The third is another option making a quality education even more affordable by allowing students to graduate with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in just four years total.

Grace’s innovative, market-driven responses to a rapidly changing higher educational landscape, increasingly shaped by concerns about college affordability and accessibility, have made Grace a desirable option for students of all ages and educational interests.

With this bent toward innovation in mind, Grace is once again becoming a change agent in higher education with its new Measure of Grace initiative. Beginning with the incoming class in fall of 2015, Grace will lower its undergraduate tuition by nine percent and provide free textbook rentals for all undergraduates as well. In addition, tuition will never be higher than a student’s first year, and they will receive a loyalty reduction of an additional $500 off per year. In total, these incentives can add up to a savings of almost $45,000 over other private colleges.

“The increased number of students choosing Grace demonstrates that our aggressive attempts to lower costs and present more efficient educational models are directly benefiting students who seek the best value in education,” said Dr. Bill Katip, president of Grace. “My passion is to make a Christian college experience affordable for all students and families without sacrificing excellence and we are making it a reality with options like our three-year program and Measure of Grace initiative.”

Grace College is an evangelical Christian community of higher education that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and applies biblical values in strengthening character, sharpening competence and preparing for service. Grace College also offers flexible online graduate degrees, on-campus and online degree completion programs, and highly affordable, easily accessible degree programs in Detroit, Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. The 180-acre main campus is located in the historic resort town of Winona Lake, near Warsaw, Indiana.