A preliminary report on college enrollment in Illinois shows a decline at all sectors of higher education.
Public universities, community colleges and private colleges — all three categories showed a drop in enrollment, according to a report from the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Illinois State University and the three University of Illinois campuses showed slight upticks; all other public schools declined by an average of almost 3 percent compared to last year. Private non-profit schools showed less of a decline, with an overall decrease of about 2 percent.
State Representative Bob Pritchard, a Republican from Hinckley, says the legislature deserves some of the blame:
“Some of that can be attributed to the uncertainty of state funding for the university. There were several universities that weren’t sure they were going to be able to open in the fall.”
Among community colleges, the overall average was an almost 4 percent decrease. Private for-profit schools showed the biggest overall decrease at about 6 percent.
