IBHE RELEASES FALL 2018 ENROLLMENT NUMBERS

News

from the ILLINOIS BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Contact: Melissa Hahn | 217.557.7354 | 217.441.1066 cell | hahn@ibhe.org

Oct. 10, 2018

SPRINGFIELD – Total fall enrollments at Illinois’ public universities are nearly flat this year, and this could be marking the end of a downward trend. Enrollments broken down by university are varied and the noteworthy changes in trends signal less volatility. The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) reports that total enrollment for this fall semester is down just 1 percent from last fall.

Dr. Al Bowman, executive director, IBHE, said, "Such a small decrease indicates that the worst of the enrollment decline may be over. Our state universities have worked hard to entice more students to study here in Illinois, and this report shows us that work is paying off. But the disparity between universities remains a concern."

Total enrollment for undergraduate and graduate students at the state’s 12 public universities stands at 163,786, compared to 166,087 a year ago, for a difference of 2,301 fewer students.

		Combined Enrollment			Change in Enrollment in 2018

	Fall 2015	Fall 2016	Fall 2017	Fall 2018	From 2015	From 2017
CSU	3,618	2,734	2,429	2,267	-37%	-7%
EIU	7,282	6,234	5,339	5,892	-19%	10%
GSU	3,920	3,886	3,554	3,320	-15%	-7%
ISU	18,183	18,533	18,308	18,115	0%	-1%
NEIU	6,366	6,101	5,777	5,201	-18%	-10%
NIU	16,502	15,712	14,982	14,352	-13%	-4%
SIUC	14,995	13,880	12,463	10,851	-28%	-13%
SIUE	11,985	11,870	11,523	10,942	-9%	-5%
UIC	28,687	28,935	30,418	31,620	10%	4%
UIS	3,921	3,985	3,526	3,211	-18%	-9%
UIUC	47,644	48,765	49,634	50,755	7%	2%
WIU	9,561	8,934	8,134	7,260	-24%	-11%
Total	172,664	169,569	166,087	163,786	-5%	-1%

Universities with double-digit drops in enrollment are:

∙Northeastern Illinois University (-10 percent)

∙Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (-13 percent)

∙Western Illinois University (-11 percent)

Universities with increases are:

∙Eastern Illinois University (10 percent)

∙University of Illinois at Chicago (4 percent)

∙University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (2 percent)

Those same universities also have the largest decreases and increases in undergraduate enrollment. "We expect a range of increases and decreases for each university, even among universities in the same system. But this range is rather large," said Dr. Eric Lichtenberger, deputy director for information management and research at IBHE. "We know outmigration is a problem, and we’re working with the universities to identify specific enrollment trends.

The drop in the total undergraduate enrollment is the major cause of the lower overall enrollment number. Undergraduate enrollment is 122,439, down 2 percent (or 2,249) from 2017. The undergraduate drop from 2016 to 2017 was also 2 percent. The IBHE’S Fall Enrollment 1 Survey measures full-time equivalent enrollment.

		Undergraduate Enrollment			Change in Enrollment in 2018

	Fall 2015	Fall 2016	Fall 2017	Fall 2018	From 2015	From 2017
CSU	2,571	1,721	1,535	1,500	-42%	-2%
EIU	6,429	5,264	4,442	4,944	-23%	11%
GSU	2,447	2,456	2,387	2,332	-5%	-2%
ISU	16,792	17,056	16,826	16,559	-1%	-2%
NEIU	5,522	5,222	4,902	4,380	-21%	-11%
NIU	13,328	12,649	12,136	11,601	-13%	-4%
SIUC	11,670	10,829	9,763	8,369	-28%	-14%
SIUE	10,350	10,273	9,912	9,302	-10%	-6%
UIC	17,022	17,416	18,949	20,385	20%	8%
UIS	2,265	2,287	2,282	2,162	-5%	-5%
UIUC	34,041	34,592	34,573	34,702	2%	0%
WIU	8,407	7,818	6,981	6,203	-26%	-11%
Total	130,844	127,583	124,688	122,439	-6%	-2%

"While the overall graduate student number is flat this fall, we see significant drops in graduate school enrollment at Chicago State University, Governor’s State University, and the University of Illinois at Springfield," said Bowman. "The declines can be attributed to the difficulties that some overseas student are having in obtaining Visas to attend school in the U.S."

		Graduate Enrollment			Change in Enrollment in 2018

	Fall 2015	Fall 2016	Fall 2017	Fall 2018	From 2015	From 2017
CSU	1,047	1,013	894	767	-27%	-14%
EIU	853	970	897	948	11%	6%
GSU	1,473	1,430	1,167	988	-33%	-15%
ISU	1,391	1,477	1,482	1,556	12%	5%
NEIU	844	879	875	821	-3%	-6%
NIU	3,174	3,063	2,846	2,751	-13%	-3%
SIUC	3,325	3,051	2,700	2,482	-25%	-8%
SIUE	1,635	1,597	1,611	1,640	0%	2%
UIC	11,665	11,519	11,469	11,235	-4%	-2%
UIS	1,656	1,698	1,244	1,049	-37%	-16%
UIUC	13,603	14,173	15,079	16,053	18%	6%
WIU	1,154	1,116	1,153	1,057	-8%	-8%
Total	41,820	41,986	41,399	41,347	-1%	0%

The total enrollment has declined each of the last three years, with this year’s drop being the smallest. Additional enrollment data will be collected from all colleges and universities at the end of the fall semester, and that data will include more specific information regarding gender, race/ethnicity, majors, transfer status, and home state.

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