The spring 2025 semester marks the fifth consecutive semester of enrollment increase at SIU Carbondale following a fall semester that saw the highest boost of student enrollment in 33 years, according to a Jan. 30 press release from the school. SIU saw a 3.3% enrollment increase – the second year in a row that is over 3%.
Currently, 10,869 students are enrolled, slightly short of fall semester numbers due to December graduations, according to the release. Of the total, 8,362 students attend SIU on campus while off-campus enrollment is 2,507 according to director of communications Kim Rendfeld.
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“I personally thank everyone in Saluki Nation for all they have done to attract students and help them succeed from orientation to graduation,” Chancellor Austin Lane said in the release.
This is the second year in a row of an enrollment increase trend – the first time since 2000.
From 2024, undergraduate enrollment increased by 3.6% while graduate enrollment increased by 2.5%, according to university data. Fully online enrollment increased by 24% and continuing students increased by 11%. The freshman class enrollment increased for a fifth consecutive year. Of the students enrolled, over 7,800 are Illinois residents.
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“In recent years, we have made concerted efforts to red carpet the Southern Illinois region, and they continue to pay off. Enrollment from the region rose 18%,” Lane said in the press release.
The university’s goal to enroll 15,000 students by 2030 is on track, as envisioned in the Imagine 2030 strategic plan, according to Lane.
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