Illinois State announces strong fall 2020 enrollment

Illinois State University welcomed 3,353 freshmen to its student body for the 2020-2021 academic year. Total enrollment stands at 20,720.

“We begin the 2020-2021 academic year in a world changed by COVID-19,” said President Larry Dietz. “Illinois State’s strong fall enrollment figures attest to the University’s commitment to providing an excellent educational experience and individualized attention, even during the most challenging circumstances.”

The University’s total student population includes 17,987 undergraduates and 2,733 graduate students. This fall’s graduate student enrollment is up 4 percent over last fall. Transfer student numbers for this fall stand at 1,678. The fall 2020 total enrollment represents a modest less than 1 (0.8) percent decline from the last academic year. Official enrollment figures were computed after the 10th day of classes.

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Illinois State: Fall 2020

Illinois State announces strong fall 2020 enrollment:

“We are pleased to have a very talented group of new freshmen, transfers, and graduate students this year, as well as a significant number of students who are returning for their sophomore, junior, and senior years,” said Jana Albrecht, associate vice president of Enrollment Management. “We have our second largest Honors class, and our retention rates are significantly higher compared to the last five years.”

Illinois State consistently admits students with strong academic profiles. The academic quality of this year’s freshman class has increased further with a high school GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, an average ACT score near 24, and an average score of 1125 on the SAT. The incoming freshman class also includes more than 400 new students in the Honors Program.

Illinois State’s student body is becoming more diverse as well, with 31 percent of this year’s freshman class coming from traditionally underrepresented groups. Twenty-seven percent of the total student population comes from traditionally underrepresented groups, with the number of African American students increasing by 5 percent, and the number of Hispanic students going up by 2 percent. International enrollment is nearly even with last year (547 this year, 558 last year).

“Illinois State takes a team approach to planning for and adapting to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19,” said Dietz. “That same team approach applies to recruiting talented students and helping them transition to their lives at Illinois State. My thanks go to staff members in Enrollment Management, Admissions, Financial Aid, the Graduate School, the University Registrar’s office, University College, University Housing, academic advisors, and many other faculty and staff members who work year-round on this endeavor.”

Total Illinois State University enrollment Fall 2020

Total: 20,720
Freshmen: 3,353
Transfer students: 1,678
Undergraduate students: 17,987
Graduate students: 2,733
International students: 547