U of I reports record enrollment

[September 19, 2023]  By Zeta Cross | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) – Undergraduate student enrollment at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus has broken records this year, with 8,325 freshman admitted this year. Three out of 4 of the incoming freshmen, or 6,150, are from Illinois households.

“It is so important for us as a flagship public university to have Illinois residents be at the center of who we are serving,” said Allison Vance, director of messaging for the university.

“The fact that 3 out of 4 of the students in our new freshman class are Illinois residents is just wonderful,” she said.

This year’s U of I freshmen come from 88 out of Illinois’ 102 counties.

Minority representation in this year’s freshman class has increased or stayed steady over last year. Around 1,251 freshmen self-identify as Hispanic, up from 1,066 in 2022. Around 449 self-identify as African American, up slightly from 444 in 2022. And 348 self-identify as multi-race.

In a year when many schools across the country are reporting fewer male freshmen than female freshmen, U of I has an even 50/50 split of men to women.

U of I received 4,000 more applications this year than it did last year, at around 67,398 applications this year compared to 63,257 received last year. This year’s freshmen class includes 1,099 students from 47 other U.S. states and territories, and 1,087 international students from 49 countries.

There are a number of reasons for the record-breaking enrollment numbers this year, Vance said. One is the outreach that U of I has done to encourage students who need financial aid to apply.

Two years ago the university named their program for lower income families the Illinois Commitment.

“Our commitment to the residents of Illinois is that if a student is accepted and their family income is under the median of the average of the state [$68,000 to $74,000 per household], they will get free tuition and fees,” Vance said.

The message that the university has been conveying to high school students is that if they do not have tuition money, a University of Illinois education is possible for them and that U of I welcomes their applications, Vance said.

The other message that may have helped boost applications and enrollment is the value of a U of I degree, Vance said. The number of students who land jobs within 6 months of graduation is in the 90% range.

“Families work hard and students work hard and we take that commitment seriously,” Vance said. “We want people to know their work will pay off for them.”