Grad. enrollment down; minority students swell the
ranks of undergrads in new enrollment figures

September 17, 2008
By Ashley Rueff
Staff Writer

UIS this semester is 4,711 students, 144 less than last fall, according to the student census taken on Sept. 8, the 10th day of classes.

While campus saw an increase in undergraduate students of 28 to a total 2,889 students, the number of graduate students decreased by 168 from last fall to total 1,822 students.

Retention of continuing graduate students is an issue the university is looking to improve. Marya Leatherwood, interim Assistant Chancellor for Student Affairs, said continuing graduate student enrollment is down from
last fall.

“Overall, graduate enrollments were down 8.5 perent compared with last fall. Although the number of new graduate student enrollments was
up for Fall 2008, the continuing graduate student numbers were significantly down, offsetting these gains,” she said.

Chancellor Richard Ringeisen said he thinks graduate student enrollment could be down because of a tough economy that could be affecting older students working for their graduate degrees. These students are likely
to also have full-time jobs and they might be feeling the pinch of tuition more than undergraduate students because of their other expenses. Graduate students are more likely to have expenses tied to families and commuting than undergraduates.

“For us, our graduate students are largely working adults who are coming here for master’s degrees after working full-time,” Ringeisen said.

Of the 1,802 graduate students at UIS this fall, only 474 are full-time students, while 1,328 are part-time. Of undergraduate students, 1,781 are enrolled fulltime this semester, while 1,108 are part-time.

Strain from the economy could mean adults normally taking graduate classes part-time can’t afford them as in the past, Ringeisen said.

“I really do think that has to do with the economy and that’s not something we can control,” he said.

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Northern Illinois University and Western Illinois University also reported declines in some enrollment numbers this fall.

While overall enrollment declined at UIS, the university did meet its goal of enrolling 300 freshmen this fall, with the final number reaching 311.

Of those students, 30 percent are minorities, of which 23 percent are African-American, Ringeisen said. Overall, 20.5 percent of UIS’s total student enrollment are minorities this fall.

“It is a goal of ours to become as diverse as possible,” he said, adding that 40 percent of the freshmen class is from the Chicago- land area.

With the increase in undergraduates has also come more students living on-campus. About 1,000 students are living in oncampus housing this fall because of the opening of the new Founders Hall. The rooms won’t all be
full this year, but Ringeisen expects all 230 beds to be used in coming years.