Prospects for retaining trained professionals in regional areas are improving if demand for courses at Charles Sturt University this year is anything to go by.

Enrolments at CSU's regional campuses in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo and Wagga Wagga are well above expected levels with a high percentage of new students coming from rural and regional centres.

CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Cliff Blake said this increase shows the improving confidence students have in gaining professional qualifications from their regional university.

"Statistics show that 80 per cent of regional students who gain their qualifications in regional areas will stay in the area once they graduate.

"We hope enrolments like we have seen this year will soon start to have an impact on the shortage of trained professional in regional areas particularly in the health and education areas," Professor Blake said.

The number of students overall accepting places in CSU courses this year has risen by 15 per cent on last year's figures with an increase in demand for both on-campus and distance education courses.

There has been unprecedented demand for CSU courses in health, education, human movement, justice studies and information technology and a number of double degree areas such as information technology and business and sports science and business.

New courses in dietetics and multimedia in Wagga, nursing in Dubbo, justice studies now in its third year at Bathurst and speech pathology in its third year at Albury, are some of the most popular courses for 2000.

"The demand has also seen the University Admissions (UAI) cut off levels for courses at CSU remain the highest in recent years which means we are also accepting high quality students," he said.

Autumn semester classes began this week on all campuses.