The following is an excerpt from a story that appeared in The State Journal-Register on Sept. 7, 2022.
New University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Janet Gooch had faith and a lot of hope that enrollment numbers would turn out well Wednesday.
"We knew we had done a lot of things to enhance our enrollment this year," said Gooch Wednesday, from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where she was traveling with other University of Illinois System personnel. "We were positive we were going to have an increase in student growth, but 6.4% is a substantial increase."
UIS had seen decreasing numbers each of the last five years.
This year's overall total of 4,198 students was made up with a 25% increase in graduate students. The number of undergraduate students decreased from 2,503 to 2,393.
Illinois residents make up nearly 72% of the student body.
It is believed to be the biggest overall jump in enrollment since 2001 when UIS first admitted honors freshmen, or Capital Scholars. The jump that year went from 3,942 students to 4,288 students.