Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a quote from Jeff Harmon, chief marketing and communications officer at SIU.

Overall enrollment at SIU Carbondale has increased by 0.5% from spring 2025, marking the third consecutive year of spring enrollment growth, according to numbers released by the university on Jan. 29, 2026. 

Currently, 10,919 students are enrolled, which is up 50 students from spring 2025, but 866 students short of fall semester enrollment. Jeff Harmon, chief marketing and communications officer, told the Daily Egyptian that spring enrollment is always lower than fall because there are fewer new students and many graduates in December. Over 1,500 students graduated in December 2025. 

The university credits “significant gains in strong retention rates among undergraduates, transfer students and online education” for the growth from last spring. The university saw a 25% increase in online students, rising from 1,594 to 1,986, and a 10% increase in transfer student enrollment. The university said this is a result of SIU’s Saluki Step Ahead partnerships with over 40 community colleges in Illinois, as well as community colleges in Texas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee. 

The fall-to-spring retention rate for first-time, full-time undergraduate students is up 2.6% from the previous year, standing at 86.7%, with significant increases across diverse student populations. Retention is up 4% among Pell-eligible students, 4% among first-generation students, 8% among overall Hispanic students, 9% among Hispanic female students, 4% among overall Black/African American students and 8% among Black/African American male students. 

“This sustained growth is a testament to the hard work of our faculty and staff who are deeply committed to the success of our students,” Chancellor Austin Lane said in the press release. “Through our Imagine 2030 strategic plan, we have focused intentionally on removing barriers to education and meeting students where they are. Whether it’s through our robust online offerings or our partnerships here in the Southern Illinois region, we are seeing those strategic efforts pay off.”

According to the release, the university now has 8% more students from the southern Illinois region. Retention of local students is also up 0.3%. SIU saw enrollment growth from other states as well, including Mississippi, Kansas, Texas and Washington. 

Through the Saluki Start Initiative, which offers tuition-free online classes for students at 26 southern Illinois high schools, 130 high school students are enrolled in SIU classes this spring. 

“Saluki Start is a game-changer for families in our region,” Lane said in the press release. “It lowers the cost of a degree and accelerates the path to a career for students right here at home.”

Editor-in-Chief Carly Gist can be reached at [email protected].

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