Enrollment is better than projected at the Cincinnati State Middletown campus, according to school officials.

More than 350 students are currently registered for CSM courses, which include in-class, online and hybrid courses. Of those, 212 are new full-time students. School officials previously said they wanted to have 200 new students admitted and taking classes at the downtown college campus in the first academic year.

About 20 percent more new students have applied for the spring 2013 semester at the Middletown campus than at the main campus in Clifton, according to Jean Manning, spokeswoman for Cincinnati State Technical & Community College.

For the spring 2013 semester, the goal was to have 150 new applicants. As of last week, there were 134 — 116 of whom have already registered for classes. The school has also gotten a head start for new applicants for fall 2013. Forty-five people have applied for the summer and fall semesters, with two already being accepted.

The first 16 weeks of Cincinnati State’s inaugural year in downtown Middletown have exceeded community and student expectations, said Middletown campus director Michael Chikeleze.

“I think we’ve done a great job in staying engaged with the students and staying engaged in the community,” he said. “It’s been a wonderful experience and we hope to do more and to grow more.”

School officials are very interested in growing in Middletown, even before renovations at its 1 N. Main St. campus are complete and before starting renovations at the former senior center. The school’s renovations of the basement, first, third and sixth floors have been completed ahead of schedule, and Manning said meetings are occurring to talk about designing the remainder of the building.

Additionally, the school will acquire a donation by the Butler County Commission of the former Butler County Workforce One office near the downtown campus. School officials have also expressed interest in obtaining the former First National Bank building across the street.

Mayor Larry Mulligan called the partnerships between Cincinnati State and the city “phenomenal.”

“It’s a great model that’s worked out well, that’s revitalized an underutilized building in downtown,” Mulligan said.

The mayor, who serves on an ad hoc committee with Cincinnati State President Dr. O’dell Owens, has talked with local businesses about participating in the school’s workforce development and co-operative education program.

“I see a lot of continued growth,” Mulligan said. “They have a nice fit. They balance out what we’re offering with Miami University (Middletown).”

The interest Cincinnati State has in downtown Middletown, said Vice Mayor Dan Picard, is only sparking interest from others.

“It’s leading to a great deal of more development in that general area of the downtown area,” Picard said.

“We’re seeing a heck of a lot more activity downtown than we had two or three years ago,” he said. “The growth is continuing, and I see nothing but good things happening in the future.”

School officials met last week to discuss course expansion in allied health, computers and business programming, according to Manning.

Cincinnati State Middletown opened on Aug. 29, just five months after the college and city signed respective deals to sell and build the downtown campus with Boston-based developer Higher Education Partners. The project had been a multi-year deal in the making that involved the former CG&E building and former senior center.

“If we hadn’t been able to make this deal with Cincinnati State I think downtown would be as dead as it was two or three years ago,” Picard said.