SIU announced today that 10,378 total students are enrolled at SIU, marking a 3.7% decrease in attendance since Spring 2020, where 10,779 students attended SIU. 

SIU said 60 first time students are enrolled, more than double since last year.   

“Unlike in previous years, we are also seeing more new students start their college careers in the spring rather than the fall,” SIU’s Chancellor Austin Lane said in a release about the numbers. “We believe that many students may have deferred starting in the fall due to the pandemic but are now moving forward to get started.” 

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Spring enrollment is traditionally smaller than fall enrollment, due to a number of students graduating in the fall. In Fall 2020, 11,366 students were in attendance and 870 students graduated.

According to the release, it estimated around an 85% retention rate for freshman students. SIU reported its highest retention rate of 91% in Spring 2020.

(See more: SIU reports highest fall to spring freshman retention numbers in 10 years)

Chancellor Lane congratulated the SIU faculty and staff for helping students keep learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Our faculty and staff have worked very hard to support students in challenging times,” Lane said.

Enrollment numbers for previous years at SIU can be found here.

Staff reporter Danny Connolly can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @.DConnollyTV

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