Enrollment on the University of Illinois Springfield campus fell nearly 9-percent this fall, with most of that drop among graduate students.
After the first 10 days of classes, a total of 4,956 students are enrolled at UIS, down from 5,428 students in fall 2016.
The number of graduate students decreased from 2,469 in 2016 to 2,024 in 2017. UIS has 420 fewer international students at the graduate level this year compared to last.
The number of undergraduate students at UIS stands at 2,932 compared to 2,959 in fall 2016. Those taking classes completely online increased. 34-percent of the total enrollment is enrolled in online degree or certificate programs.
“Despite challenges like the uncertainty of the state budget, I’m pleased that our continued focus on three strategic priorities – growth, talent and facilities – is helping to sustain forward momentum at the Springfield campus,” Chancellor Susan Koch said in a prepared statement.
“We were expecting the decline in our graduate numbers this year,” said Koch. “The university had a record number of graduates last year and concerns from international students regarding whether their visa status could change contributed to the decline, an impact seen widely across the country this year.”
Koch adds that the opening of a new student union on campus will contribute to the school’s attractiveness among prospective students.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign set an enrollment record for the seventh consecutive year.
The 10-day total enrollment, graduate and undergraduate, at UIUC is 47,826—up three percent from last year.
At UIUC, freshmen enrollment was 7,518—down 74 students from last year. African-American undergraduate total enrollment increased 0.6-percent and Latino enrollment rose 8.5 percent.
Elsewhere in the U of I system, the University of Illinois-Chicago saw a 4.9 percent increase in enrollment, breaking 30,000 for the first time.
Total enrollment at other public universities in Illinois has fallen across the board, ranging from a 1.2 percent decline at Illinois State University, to an 11.4 percent drop at Chicago State University.
Illinois Public Universities - Fall 2017 Enrollment
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