SIU Carbondale releases fall enrollment numbers | News

CARBONDALE, IL (KFVS) - Southern Illinois University Carbondale released official 10th day enrollment numbers on Wednesday, September 5.

According to the university, the number of first-time on-campus entering undergraduate students stands at 2,286; there are 1,816 students who transferred to SIU; and overall enrollment is 18,847. Last year at this time, the comparable figures were 2,344, 2,076, and 19,817.

They say administrators are reviewing the data, but initially attribute the dip to a decrease in available financial aid, smaller new student classes in 2009 and 2010, and a decrease in students enrolled at area community colleges, which impacts the pool of students eligible to transfer.

"We have increased our efforts on recruitment and retention to make sure everyone knows about our academic programs, research efforts and other initiatives," Chancellor Rita Cheng said. "The increase in admitted students shows that we are getting the SIU story out there."

The university said the number of new first-time students increased in six of SIU's eight colleges. In addition, the average high school class rank and average GPA among this year's freshmen is up compared to both 2011 and 2010.

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