Spring enrollment mirrors fall increase

by Joe King

NIU's spring student census shows that the large enrollment increase experienced last fall is holding solid.

The recently completed 10-day count for the spring semester found 23,512 students enrolled at NIU, an increase of 1,017 students over the same time last year. The figures mirror those of fall 2002 when the university enrolled 24,948 students, an increase of 1,166 students compared to the previous August. Spring enrollment numbers traditionally are lower because of mid-year graduations.

The increase was reflected across all categories of students: undergraduates (up 612); graduate students (up 373); off-campus students (up 340), and law students (up 32).

An informal survey found that NIU's spring enrollment jump of 1,017 was the largest among state universities, with other schools posting increases ranging from 266 at Western Illinois University to about 700 students at Southern Illinois University.

"It is gratifying to see that our enrollment gains are holding firm," said NIU President John Peters, who speculated that factors such as the state of the economy and an increase in high school graduates contributed to the rise.

"Certainly those factors play a role, but the fact that our growth continues to outpace that of other universities around the state indicates that people are recognizing the quality and value of an NIU education," he added.

NIU Provost Ivan Legg also greeted the increase as good news, but cautioned that the continuing growth poses some challenges.

"We are monitoring this growth very carefully because we have limited resources at our
disposal," said Legg, referring to the state's current budget crisis. "We must work diligently to ensure that we have the resources available to provide a quality education for every student we admit."

It appears that challenge will be ongoing.

Looking ahead to next fall, the university admissions office reports that applications for the 2003-2004 academic year are running well ahead of the same time last year.

2-10-2003