Southern Illinois University Carbondale's enrollment is down again this fall, despite the largest freshman class in 20-years.
The official 10-day enrollment numbers released Tuesday afternoon show total enrollment stands at 17,964 that down 883 students from last year or about a 4.7% decrease.
On the positive side, there are 2,571 freshmen enrolled and SIU-C Chancellor Rita Cheng says the freshman class is among the best qualified in recent years. Undergraduate international enrollment grew by more than 20-percent for fall with total international enrollment up nearly 11-percent. Cheng says the university focused on admitting the best qualified students this year and denied admission to a larger number of students than in previous years.
SIU-C saw declines in the number of transfer students and those enrolling off-campus and at military locations. Cheng says the decline reflects the economic pressures on students and families. Cheng says the university is working to address those challenges. While efforts to retain students continue, last year’s enrollment was down 970 students from Fall of 2011.
