Undergraduate enrollment strong across Illinois
Tuesday, Sep 12, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WAND…
As the fall semester rolls on, universities across central Illinois have released their ten-day figures. These numbers are the traditional benchmark for reporting enrollment at colleges and universities.
Enrollment of first-year freshman at University of Illinois System universities hit a record number of 13,231 students. Total undergraduate enrollment also reached a record high with 60,013 undergrads. […]
Eastern Illinois University reported strong numbers in targeted areas. International enrollment reached record highs with both the number of students (880) and the number of countries represented (60). […]
Illinois State University welcomed its largest incoming class in 36 years with 4,147 freshmen. The student body is becoming more diverse as approximately 41% of this year’s freshman class come from traditionally underrepresented groups.
* ABC 7 Chicago…
The top brass at U of I is flying high after a new admission trend. Numbers we’ve just obtained show more and more students from Illinois are going to U of I. Foreign students remain attracted to the Urbana-Champaign campus, but those numbers are shifting some.
“We have record enrollment for the incoming freshman class, extremely strong representation from Illinois at 74% of the class,” said Provost John Coleman.
Freshman enrollment for 2023 includes 6,100 incoming students from Illinois who just arrived for the fall term. […]
Almost 1,100 students from other states are new freshman on campus, and about 1,100 from other countries.
China remains the overwhelming foreign feeder nation. Almost 57% of overseas U of I students are from China. But it is a portion of the student population that has fallen some in recent years, ever since 2017 when a Chinese scholar was kidnapped from a U of I bus stop and then murdered. The story received global attention. Chinese student enrollment dipped.
* WGLT…
With over 4,000 freshman students on-campus this fall, Illinois State University is marking an enrollment high not reached since 1986.
ISU officials release enrollment totals once the data is more finalized following days of classes. Data released on Thursday show a total of 4,147 freshmen, marking a 4% increase from the prior academic year. Total enrollment — at 20,989 — is up by 1.5%, according to ISU. […]
Other enrollment figures include:
1,814 transfer students (up around 2%)
2,539 graduate students
741 international students
* We’ve already talked about SIUC…
For the first time since 2014, enrollment at Southern Illinois University Carbondale has grown. Overall enrollment for fall 2023 is 11,359 — 252 students, or 2.3%, more than last year — the highest overall boost in the number of students in 21 years and highest percentage increase in over 30 years. […]
In addition, 1,621 new freshmen are starting their college careers at SIU, which is 103, or 6.8%, more than last year. This is the first time in at least 50 years the university has increased its freshman class for four consecutive years. […]
The university also saw a 10.8% increase in new transfer students to 1,188. Part of that success can be attributed to Saluki Step Ahead agreements signed with more than 40 community colleges in Illinois, Missouri and Texas since 2021. Saluki Step Ahead provides a seamless path for students who earn associate degrees in participating community colleges to obtain their SIU bachelor’s degrees online in select programs. About 130 students, 121% more than last year, are earning their degrees through Saluki Step Ahead.
* Muddy River News…
Western Illinois University’s fall 2023 total new student (freshman, transfer and graduate for both Macomb and Quad Cities) enrollment is 2,145, according to 10th-day data released by WIU’s Institutional Research and Planning. Western’s total fall 2023 enrollment is 7,073.
Western’s 2023 Fall class contains 1,226 full-time freshmen, up by 152 students.
- Grimlock - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 10:23 am:
My son took an AP exam last spring and I assume they sold his information because he has begun receiving recruitment brochures from colleges even though he is still a junior in HS. So far. he has received one from Illinois College, one from Quincy University, and one from an out-of-state school. He has not received anything from WIU, EIU, ISU or the U of I which are all within 120 miles.
- Langhorne - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 10:48 am:
Thanks to Rauner, the youngest generation of my family has several members now loyal University of Iowa students or alums.
Fortunately, they have returned to the Chicago area to start their careers.
- Drifter182 - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 10:54 am:
It’s a very different story at private colleges this fall. Just ask Bradley.
- OneMan - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 10:57 am:
Grimlock,
A ton of entities sell that information, including the college board (who do the AP exams).
Had the exact same experience with both of my kids, my wife and I are NIU alums and I think they sent a postcard to each kid (both won the award for taking and passing more than X number of AP exams, top 10% in their class and the youngest was an Illinois State Scholar).
Never understood why NIU didn’t cross-reference addresses with the Alumni Association.
They both ended up at U of Kansas and are now Kansas taxpayers (a Nurse and an Engineer).
- ZC - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 11:01 am:
>> It’s a very different story at private colleges this fall. Just ask Bradley.
Though Bradley’s not technically a college, right? It would be interesting to break down where their enrollment decline is focused, in its undergraduate acceptance or in its graduate programs. (It may well be undergrad). Eureka College was up of late, I understand, though that seems to have been assisted by transfers from Lincoln … General point is, we need more overall data from private institutions statewide, to get more of a handle on this trend.
- George Ryan Reynolds - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 11:25 am:
ABC7 Chicago: Numbers we’ve just obtained show more and more students from Illinois are going to U of I.
You mean obtained from a news release that went out to every outlet? What wizardry!
Glad to see some wins. The pandemic was rough on college students (in addition to older people and the immunocompromised and K-12 students, etc).
- Donnie Elgin - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 11:27 am:
working on my last of three kids - a junior this year. Illinois’s big problem is cost relative to other states and private universities. U of I offered virtually nothing to my older two kids - Marquette/Iowa State offered over 25k, and 17K respectively in Merit/academic aid - making the cost less than U of I. IL is woefully expensive in terms of in-state tuition rates also…
https://www.collegeillinois.org/Program-Benefits/collegetuitioncostandfees.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/08/the-top-10-cheapest-colleges-for-in-state-tuition.html
- Jibba - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 11:33 am:
With those poor total enrollment numbers, both Western and Eastern could easily have their students absorbed by the remaining ones. Continuing to try and deliver the same old residential education in depopulating rural areas is clearly not working. Time for some new ideas.
- Pot calling kettle - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 11:51 am:
==Illinois’s big problem is cost relative to other states and private universities==
Yes and no. Illinois does some things differently which leads to the perception of higher cost even when the total cost is similar or lower. First, the public universities are required to charge a student the same tuition for four years while in other states the tuition usually goes up each year; the first year or two in Illinois might be more, but after four years, many students end up paying less. Second, universities in other states offer academic scholarships to attract out-of-state students which brings their cost down to the level of tuition for in-state students in Illinois; getting that big dollar tuition break feels good and attracts students even when the total cost ends up being greater than staying in state.
I think one of the big problems in Illinois is the lack of a good, organized marketing by Illinois higher ed. We have an array of excellent higher ed institutions. The IBHE should be tasked with taking this on and helping students (in state and out-of-state) find a good fit in Illinois. And, with the increasing restrictions being imposed by states like Texas and Florida, we should be able to bring in students who want to learn in a free and open environment.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 12:39 pm:
=both Western and Eastern could easily have their students absorbed by the remaining ones=
Tell that tothier ilgop state reps who are always looking for ways to save money.
- Honeybear - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 1:07 pm:
My eldest daughter just graduated from Univ of Arizona with a degree in micro biology/immunology. She was a full ride Navy ROTC scholarship. She ended up going to Arizona because she couldn’t get a slot in the engineering or science schools at U of I. The CO of the ROTC battalion at Univ of IL wanted her soooo badly. But she couldn’t get a slot. I’m convinced because of all the foreign students in those schools. Even though the percentage of foreign students isn’t out of line, I can tell you definitively they are concentrated in the science and engineering schools.
Illinois loss. She’s the main propulsion officer on a warship now with loyalty to an Arizona alma mater.
In state enrollment may be up but I bet you anything it’s not up in science or engineering.
- DTownResident - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 1:29 pm:
So we should further destabilize parts of Illinois that were disinfected in during the Rauner years? if you look at the states where they have large scholarship packages for our of state students you will also see a lot of good scholarships for in state students. Illinois should do lots more of that for in-state students. A lot of the nearby states have lower instate rates than Illinois but also push it lower still. I think Eastern and Southern have improved on local scholarships. The rest could also. My daughter’s got lots of mailings for all of the instate schools but for some reason never really looked at many of them.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 1:43 pm:
===A lot of the nearby states have lower instate rates than Illinois but also push it lower still===
I think MAP grants are now available to all who qualify.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 1:50 pm:
The US Dept of Education has a great web site with data on all public and private universities in the country. The key stat (to me) is the average net price paid by beginning students.
This is a good way to compare college costs regardless of the “sticker price”.
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
Also- yes it’s great to see the Illinois public university enrollment rising this year…
- DTownResident - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 4:02 pm:
Those scholarships are usually not based on need like Map grants. There are also versions of MAP awards and promise awards for the neighboring states. Illinois does a great job for those who qualify for grants. It is the awards for those who do not make the need based aid but still do not have huge incomes that those reduce the cost for as well. When they give out aid that push costs lower than the sticker instate tuition for quite a few students both instate and out of state that so not qualify for the grants…it makes a difference compared to the Illinois costs.
- ArchPundit - Tuesday, Sep 12, 23 @ 4:46 pm:
===Illinois College, one from Quincy University, and one from an out-of-state school.
Not surprising–the small privates are especially in a tough time. They start the process earlier to build their brand recognition while the local regionals are known at least.
===Never understood why NIU didn’t cross-reference addresses with the Alumni Association.
I expect the only a postcard is changing, though NIU has been doing pretty well compared to the other regionals. The cross referencing is harder than you think. I cannot tell you how difficult many of the state university data systems are out of date (and I mean more than just Illinois in that).