The total number of students across the UI System has increased by about three percent this fall, according to a press release from the Office of University Relations.

A year ago, enrollment at the campuses was 83,321, and it has now increased to 85,597 students. This number has been increasing over the past six years, the press release said.  

Two years ago, the UI System set a goal to reach a total enrollment of 93,000 students, and the system has been on-pace to reach this goal, said Jan Dennis, assistant director of the Office for University Relations, in an email.

At the Chicago campus, 1,144 more students enrolled this fall. The Urbana-Champaign campus saw 1,513 more students enroll, increasing the total number of students to almost 50,000, according to the press release.

However, at the Springfield campus, total enrollment decreased about 7.7 percent, with 4,575 students enrolled now.  

The in-state undergraduate enrollment numbers also increased by 1,300 students. 

These numbers were collected on the 10th day of class this fall, Dennis said.

According to the press release, Tim Killeen, president of the UI System, said the total increase is due to ongoing efforts to promote affordability and academic excellence.

The freshman class at the Urbana-Champaign campus also reached a new high in its number of underrepresented backgrounds and first-year college students.   

Twenty-two percent of the new freshmen identified as coming from an underrepresented background, and 22.1 percent identify as first-generation students.

“The intent of increasing enrollment is to expand our impact on students and the state,” Dennis said. “Reflected in this quote from President Killeen: ‘We are committed to opening our doors to more and more students, as we provide rich opportunities that transform lives and expand the pipeline of talent that drives progress for our state and nation.’”

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