Illinois State University says its fall enrollment is up and the school has its largest freshman class in decades. The announcement comes as some state universities brace for the possibility of enrollment declines due to Illinois' budget crisis and a lack of state university funding.
Illinois State says the 21,039 students on campus is a 1.1 percent increase over a year ago. The 3,638 freshmen is the largest incoming class in 27 years.
Southern Illinois University officials say fall enrollment is down 7.5 percent from the same period a year ago. Interim Chancellor Brad Colwell says 15,987 have enrolled this fall, compared to 17,292 last year. University officials say they aren't surprised by the drop in enrollment.
University officials say the loss of 1,305 students translates into about $6.5 million of lost revenue, but the university has already accounted for it in a prior $21 million cut in spending.
Colwell said the university is looking to the future and will use market research to determine how the school is perceived and what students are looking for. Colwell said the goal for fall 2017 is to stem the drop in enrollment and increase the freshman class by 10%.
Western Illinois University says enrollment this fall has fallen by 7%. WIU says enrollment dropped by 721 students. The school's freshman class is 1,527. That's only eight less than a year ago.
The state went most of last school year without providing money for universities before agreeing to partial funding. Some schools reported declining applications as a result.
