February 03, 2015
SIU Carbondale spring enrollment increases
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Official spring enrollment at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is 16,684, an increase of 65 students from spring 2014. The growth in spring enrollment continues the trend started in the fall, when enrollment increased for the first time in 10 years.
This spring, the university saw a significant increase in sophomore enrollment of 351 students, or 19.6 percent.
“The spring-to-spring increase in sophomores can be attributed to last year’s larger freshman class and our ongoing retention efforts,” said Susan Ford, acting provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We’re very pleased to see the impact of both our recruitment and retention efforts gaining ground.”
Other spring enrollment highlights include:
- An 13.3 percent increase in on- and off-campus transfer students
- A 12.1 percent increase in off-campus enrollment
- A 1.9 percent increase in continuing students, defined as on-campus undergraduates who were enrolled in the fall and returned in the spring
- Increases in spring-to-spring enrollment in several colleges, including the College of Applied Sciences and Arts, the College of Engineering and the College of Science
- A decline in graduate enrollment, the enrollment of first-time students who start in the spring semester and seniors
“The decline in seniors suggests that we still have work to do in retention,” she said. “Our retention efforts have focused primarily on new students. We are now beginning to extend them to all students.”
Fall enrollment at SIU was 17,989, an increase of 25 students over the previous year. Spring enrollment is always significantly lower due in large part to the number of students who graduate in December, Ford said.
For more information, contact Rae Goldsmith, chief marketing and communications officer, at 618-453-2589.