SIU Carbondale enrollment up in Southern Illinois region, overall enrollment remains steady
Southern Illinois University Carbondale is pleased to report that the overall enrollment on the 10th day of class for fall 2025 remains steady (flat) at 11,785 – only five fewer students than last year – which saw a record percentage enrollment growth. This figure reflects increases among several demographics, including new students from the Southern Illinois region (6%), new students from states bordering Illinois (16%) and online students (23% growth overall, 161% in graduate programs). The success of the university’s enrollment stability was also greatly enhanced by the strategic efforts of Academic Affairs, yielding a 5% growth in retaining continuing students – from 7,532 to 7,898. Despite these increases, an area of concern was the overall reduction of international students, which accounted for the largest decrease among various groups.