Fall head count hits target enrollment

UIC has 27,512 students this semester, 68 students less than last fall.
Photo: Robert Dupuis-Devlin

UIC hit its target enrollment numbers this fall, with new records for graduate and professional student totals, according to 10th-day enrollment statistics.

UIC has 27,512 students this semester, down just 68 students compared with last year’s record enrollment figures.

Undergraduate enrollment was on the mark for new freshmen and transfers, but the total count declined slightly to 16,671 undergraduates, compared with last year’s total of 16,911.

“One of our goals is to make sure we’re not under or over enrollment — that means that students can find the classes they need and we have support services ready,” said Kevin Browne, vice provost for academic and enrollment services.

“To bring in the correct number so they are not unduly hunting for classes is key.”

Each college sets its own enrollment targets, Browne said, keeping in mind class sizes to ensure that students have the ability to graduate in four years.

“The goal is to allow capacity for classes to be fully maximized but not pushed to a breaking point,” he said.

This fall’s graduate and professional students set new records for post-baccalaureate enrollment. Total graduate enrollment rose to 8,119, up 1.3 percent from last fall, and the professional student head count is up 2.4 percent to 2,722 students.

“It’s recognition of how good this university is and the fact that we have a large research base,” Browne said. “Seeing applications go up and the diversity of the class coming in has been very rewarding.”

International student enrollment increased by 14 percent, with the greatest increases at the graduate level.

Recruitment efforts are up not only in Illinois, but also across the nation and globally, Browne said.

UIC will be represented at college fairs in New York City, Miami, Seattle, Los Angeles and Houston this year and international recruitment efforts are targeting northern Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim.

“We want people in the classroom who bring in a global perspective so that we can inject that view into classroom discussions,” Browne said.

“UIC has the best of both worlds: it’s on 300 acres in the Loop, within walking distance to the lake, but it still has its urban oasis once you get here. We want to put that context before parents.”

The racial-ethnic profile was similar to last year, with no single group a majority. Latinos are the fastest-growing population, with nearly one in three new freshmen and almost 24 percent of all undergraduates identifying themselves as Latino.

Total enrollment for all three U of I campuses is about 77,000 this fall.