Will County’s universities see positive shift in enrollment

For fall 2023, student enrollment at universities in Will County is staying level or experiencing a small increase in new students, bucking a four-year downward trend at public colleges, according to statistics from the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

This may be because of a shift in how local colleges identify and market themselves to new students.

It also may be from additional awards, grants and scholarships that are available to incoming students from the state of Illinois and the federal government to make the cost of tuition more affordable.

New student enrollment at the University of St. Francis in Joliet saw a slight increase over past year, according to Eric Ruiz, USF’s vice president for admissions and enrollment services.

“We are making our way back to pre-pandemic enrollment,” he said.

The school has a total enrollment of about 3,400 students, including undergraduate and graduate students. The average freshman class across academic programs is about 230 students.

At USF, education, nursing and business programs continue to be popular among students.

During the pandemic, Ruiz said, college-age students wrestled with whether to attend college or begin full-time work with a good pay rate.

“We have had to continue to change the way we talk about college, and not just at St. Francis,” he said. “We had to show the value of a college education. Across the country, colleges had to restrategize how they are recruiting.”

“We have had continue to change the way we talk about college and not just at St. Francis. We had to show the value of a college education. cross the country, colleges had to restrategize how they are recruiting.”

—  Eric Ruiz, vice president for Admissions and Enrollment Services at USF

Ruiz said, in the aftermath of the pandemic, his staff saw they needed to recruit both the student and the student’s family in a much different way.

“In the past, we could talk directly to the students and be able to encourage and empower them about what they should be looking for in a college,” he said.

Today, that conversation appears to be more directed to the parents and focused on cost.

According to 2021-22 data from USF, 100% of its students received some type of financial assistance.

Ruiz said while it can appear that tuition costs are rising, financial assistance for college students also is increasing.

Students and parents need to ask how much college will cost them and not just ask the base price tag, he said.

With about 6,500 students Lewis University in Romeoville saw a growth in student enrollment of about 1% over the previous school year, according to Ashley Skidmore, vice president for enrollment management at Lewis.

“The population and demographics of students both across the country and here in Illinois is shifting,” she said. “We are seeing more underrepresented students graduating from high school.”

With a prominent program in aviation, Lewis University also has popular degree programs in nursing, computer science, business and biology.

In considering cost, Skidmore suggests “If a student is really interested in a college, they should not eliminate a college based on price tag alone.”

Students should reach out to the admissions office to discuss the financial aspect of college, fill out scholarship forms, and seek out government programs such as the Will County’s Heroes Scholarship program, she said.

About $10 million in funding is being awarded to teaching and nursing students who live in Will County and attend Governors State University, USF, Lewis or Joliet Junior College and anticipate that they will continue to work for a Will County education or health care institution.

The program gives participants up to $5,000 per academic year as an incentive to stay and work in Will County.

Paul McGuinness, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management at Governors State University in University Park, said students and parents need to be aware of the state of Illinois’ Monetary Award Program.

“The Pritzker administration is very conscious of getting kids into school,” he said. “We have a lot of outward migration in Illinois where students go to schools outside the state. We also have a lot of students who don’t go anywhere.”

The current governor recognizes that and is trying to make college more affordable for students of lessor means, McGuinness said. The state is focused on encouraging students to get their education in Illinois and continue to live and work in Illinois.

With about 4,400 students, GSU saw its largest freshman class ever with 323 students in fall 2022.

While this year’s enrollment numbers haven’t been finalized, McGuinness said, “We should be close to the same amount. This year should be our second-largest freshman class and a greater number of transfer students.”

The changes with remote learning and online classes that came during the COVID pandemic is presenting more flexibility to students and places of higher education.

“The opportunity to take classes in many different places and formats,” is appealing to adult learners and transfer students, McGuinness said.

“Nursing,” he said, “is one of our programs that can be completed online.”

As a public university, GSU offers dual degree programs with many area community colleges, which can significantly lower the overall cost of college tuition. Its more popular programs include interdisciplinary studies, psychology, information technology, computer science, business, nursing, criminal justice, social work and education.