Incoming undergraduate enrollment doubled in the College of Nursing for the 2007-08 school year, increasing the total to 480 students in the program compared to 352 last year.

The college is now accepting 80 students per semester compared to 40 in the past, said College of Nursing Dean Jane Kirschling.

The college had been turning away qualified students for the program because of an enrollment cap, Kirschling said. The college decided to raise that cap to respond to a national shortage of nurses across the United States.

To cope with the additional students, the college has hired three new faculty members and expects to add five more, she said.