According to the 10-day enrollment numbers released by Southern Illinois University Carbondale Tuesday, freshmen and transfer student enrollment rose 5.2 percent from fall 2010 while overall enrollment decreased.

Undergraduate and graduate student enrollment for fall 2011 stands at 19,817 — 220 students less than fall 2010. According to a university press release, this drop reflects the 10.5 percent decrease in graduate program enrollment in fall 2010.

John Koropchak, dean of the graduate school, said there has been a significant decline in non-declared students.

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“Non-declared students are students that apply late or just want to take a class or don’t immediately qualify for admission directly into the program,” he said Tuesday. “We are doing some careful analysis for a better understanding of all the numbers. It is a little too early to say more than that.”

Rod Sievers, assistant to the chancellor for media relations, said the enrollment increase of 116 freshmen and transfer students, in comparison to the 136-student decrease in fall 2010, could be attributed to a renewed focus on recruitment and retention and the university’s new marketing efforts.

Student transfers increased by 65 students, or 3.2 percent, according to the university press release.

The average incoming new students had test scores, grade point averages and class ranks at the same level as last year’s class, according to the press release.  The university admitted 60.6 percent of applicants this year, compared to 61.1 percent last year, according to the press release.

According to the press release, the retention rate for 2011 is 69 percent, the same as fall 2010.

Sievers said the full results of the marketing efforts by Lipman and Hearne will not be seen until fall 2012, but the new view book, recruitment materials and updated website may have been a factor in increased enrollment.