NIU total fall enrollment again declines, though freshmen class increases for 6th year

DeKALB – The total number of Northern Illinois University students enrolled 10 days into the fall 2022 semester declined by 3.6% this year, though its latest freshmen class is the largest the campus has recorded since 2014, according to recently released census data.

NIU saw its total enrollment drop to 15,649, a decrease of 3.6% from a year ago, according to enrollment data released Sept. 8 by the university. However, officials said in a news release the decline was again expected, placing blame on what the university called continued impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, “steep declines in the pipeline of community college students,” and asserted that students could be delaying furthered education due to “a strong job market.”

Officials pointed instead to a six-year trend of increased incoming freshmen students. According to the data, NIU’s new freshmen class grew to 2,440, up 155 students from this time last fall.

The 10-day enrollment data does not include retention information.

Overall enrollment decline has been trending at NIU for years since well before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2009, the university recorded 24,424 students enrolled, according to 10-day enrollment data. In 2018, that number was 17,168, and 16,609 in 2019. A 2020 increase was noted at 16,769 total students, dipping again however in 2021 at 16,234 and again in 2022.

In response, university leaders have unveiled a number of initiatives aimed at student recruitment and retention. The latest involved a new strategic enrollment management plan released in March, which officials said prioritizes on-campus experiences.

Years-long efforts to ease the financial and academic burden of applying to college, and encouraging Illinoisans to attend state schools, has contributed to freshmen growth, officials said.

Provost Beth Ingram said that the university has a lot of programs that aim to ensure that students have the support they need in order be successful. Ingram lauded the university’s success and said it’s clear that NIU is attractive to prospective students.

“NIU continues to offer an affordable and accessible education,” Ingram said. “We are a school of choice for many students because of our status as a terrific regional public institution. We have great academic programs. Students continue to see the value of an NIU degree.”

The latest class of NIU freshmen also report a 3.42 high school GPA average, the highest average for new freshmen on record, according to the release.

According to the data, 56% of new freshmen are first-generation college students. The university also recorded increases in the percentages of Asian and Latinx students, calling the latest freshmen class the “most diverse in the university history,” and that it has “strong representation among Black students.”

More students are living on campus this year also, with 3,793 students calling campus home during the academic year, the most recorded by the university since 2015, data shows.

Mayra Lagunas, assistant vice president of enrollment services and director of admissions for NIU, said the university has a long track record of pursuing students with strong academic indicators.

“We’ve always had an interest from students applying to NIU with high GPAs, but I think we’ve been very intentional about recognizing students with strong academics by providing competitive scholarship opportunities,” Lagunas said.

University officials pointed to programs meant to aid and encourage students from more diverse backgrounds or low-income households to attend NIU.

Lagunas said NIU has already removed barriers, such as test scores, from the review process, which also allows for increased eligibility for merit-based scholarships.

“That’s a policy that was adopted prior to the pandemic, so prior to a lot of institutions moving in that direction,” Lagunas said. “But I think it’s encouraging for many students who might have been left out of consideration for scholarships based on lower test scores.”

Of the 1,910 freshman merit scholarship recipients this fall, 67% are students of color, data shows.

The university also pointed to programs throughout northern Illinois aimed at encouraging Illinois residents to attend NIU.

NIU’s Huskie Pledge program helped aid 987 incoming freshmen from low-income households to attend the university without paying out-of-pocket expenses for tuition and general fees, the release states.

NIU’s Rockford satellite campus such as the Rockford Promise Program, which provides financial aid for students of Rockford Public Schools. This year, 133 new freshmen enrolled through the program. A similar program for Chicago Public Schools students enrolled 61 students this fall.

The number of international students at the university also increased this fall, from 246 in 2021 to 326. Ingram said the university has always had strong graduate offerings that attract international students.

Ingram said the university attributes the changes noticed to easing of pandemic era restrictions.