SIUE is fastest growing Illinois public institution in 20 year period

EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is the fastest growing public institution in Illinois over the past 20 years. In statistics from the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), SIUE has demonstrated a 26.8 percent growth in total enrollment from 1996-2016.

“SIUE’s consistent and steady growth over the past 20 years can be attributed to the ever-evolving nature of this campus and the Edwardsville-Glen Carbon area,” said Scott Belobrajdic, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management. “In the mid-1990s, we added residence halls and began the transition to a primarily residential campus. In the mid-2000s, we added the School of Pharmacy and more residence halls. Shortly thereafter, we moved to NCAA Division I athletics and expanded the School of Engineering.

“In more recent years, the opening of the new $80-million Science Building in 2012, offering instate tuition to Missouri residents, and an increasing commitment to merit and need based scholarships pushed SIUE to record enrollment in 2014. Most recently, the addition of hundreds of solely online and non-traditional students, and the development of a robust honors program have supported enrollment stability.”

Enrollment at Illinois Public Universities

5-Year Increments, from fall 1996-2016

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Even with a slight dip in enrollment for fall 2017 to 13,796, SIUE’s enrollment growth from 1996 is 23.7 percent.

“During those 20 years, the size and quality of the freshman class have both grown,” Belobrajdic said. “In 1996, the mean ACT for the incoming class of 1,191 was 20.9. Fall 2014 brought a record 2,126 new freshmen to campus with an average ACT of 23.5.

“New transfer students have always been a part of SIUE’s regional mission and their numbers have grown from 1,175 in fall 1996 to more than 1,400 each of the past three fall semesters.”

SIUE has also expanded its geographic reach. Enrollment from the Chicago metropolitan area nearly tripled from 546 students in 1996 to 1,467 for fall 2016. A larger number of Missouri students decided to make the trip to SIUE’s 2,600-acre campus as 1,397 Missouri natives are currently enrolled compared to 959 in 1996.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose to shape a changing world. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.

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