SIU Carbondale's Spring enrollment is up over last year - and administrators say it's a positive sign their retention efforts are taking hold.
The official enrollment stands at 16,684 - up 65 students over the Spring of 2014. The trend follows the slight uptick in overall enrollment from the fall semester. But Provost Susan Ford points to a nearly 20-percent increase in the sophomore class. That hike is linked to last year's large freshman class. Ford says the larger class, coupled with stronger retention efforts, holds promise for a larger overall enrollment in the future.
Transfer students were up 13%, off-campus enrollment is up 12%, and the number of continuing students rose nearly 2%. Ford says challenges remain in the graduate program, as well as first-time students who start in the Spring Semester, and overall seniors.