As expected, enrollment is down nearly 9 percent at SIU-Carbondale for the new fall semester. Total campus enrollment is 14,554, that’s a drop of about 1400 students from a year ago. The largest decrease was in the freshman class, which has 408 fewer students than in 2016. Sophomore enrollment is down 15 percent, the junior class is 12 percent smaller.
New Chancellor Carlo Montemagno said during a press conference Tuesday that the enrollment numbers were not a surprise to the administration. He expressed confidence the university can rebuild enrollment by clearly identifying the institution as a “comprehensive doctoral research university.”
Montemagno cited multiple positive developments at the university, including increases in ACT scores for new freshman, and rising freshman retention rates. He adds the university will continue to build the quality of the student body and remain committed to diversity.