Sept. 15--The University of Illinois at Chicago reported its highest-ever enrollment in several categories this week, while the flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign also neared an all-time record for the number of first-year students starting classes.
Some 29,048 undergraduate, graduate, professional and continuing education students enrolled at UIC for the fall 2015 term, up from around 27,969 students last year, according to university figures. This year's tally bests the previously recorded high of 28,038 students in 2013.
The biggest gain was for undergraduate students, which jumped from 16,707 in 2014 to 17,511 this fall, data show.
Among the undergraduate students, 15 percent more freshman students started classes this fall, a total of 3,485 compared to 3,030 in 2014. That number does not represent the entire size of the freshman class, however, as UIC counts newly admitted students separately from transfers and readmitted students, data show.
UIC administrators attribute the enrollment bump to more vigorous recruiting at the University Village campus.
"We are doing a better job of letting students know what the experience is," Kevin Browne, vice provost for academic and enrollment services said in a statement. "Their perspective matches their reality. Your first day on campus shouldn't be your first day on campus. We want the students here to see we are an urban, diverse, research university."
Racial composition of the campus remained consistent but the school did see notable jumps in the number of Latino students--from 5,435 to 6,036--and of international students--from 2,596 to 3,123, data show.
At Urbana-Champaign, 7,565 freshmen began classes this fall, 628 more first-year students than in 2014, officials said. The enrollment figure is just shy of the all-time high from 2005 and is a nine percent increase over 2014.
Students from Illinois comprise about 73 percent of the freshman class, and international students--mostly from China--account for about 15 percent of the total.
"We're excited to welcome this class to the campus," acting chancellor Barbara J. Wilson said in a statement. "They are among the most academically prepared students in the nation and we're proud that they chose Illinois."
