University of Illinois system sets record enrollment with more than 97,000 students

The University of Illinois system has enrolled a record number of students for the 2024 fall semester, the school announced Wednesday.

The university's three campuses in Chicago, Urbana-Champaign and Springfield have a combined 97,772 students signed up for classes this semester, according to a news release. The previous record of 94,862 students was set in 2022. Enrollment numbers are based on the 10th day of classes, the standard benchmark for colleges and universities across the country.

Of all students, 61,944 are undergraduates, setting another record at the school. First-year students make up 13,689 of those undergraduates.

The record enrollment signals an increased need for higher education, University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen said.

“In a rapidly changing world, higher education is more important than ever — both for the future prospects of individual students and for an economy that demands an increasingly well-educated workforce,” Killeen said in the release. “We are providing an outstanding education at scale, and our enrollment is evidence of the value the University of Illinois System provides to the state and its citizens.”

Local students make up much of the system's enrollment, with 79% being Illinois residents. Attracting local students is a priority for the system, according to Vice President of External Relations and Communications Adrienne Nazon.

"I think we know that there's a large percentage of students that stay and work in the areas where they go to school," Nazon told the Sun-Times. "We believe that their contributions not only benefit them individually, but in many cases benefit their families and their communities, all of which are good for the state of Illinois."

While some universities have seen minority enrollment numbers decline after the Supreme Court effectively ended affirmative action, the number of Black and Hispanic students, as well as students who transferred to the University of Illinois system from a community college, all increased as well, the release said.

The system has numerous strategies for diversifying its student body and ensuring students are taught how to apply for financial aid, which increases access to higher education, Nazon said.

"We've been really working hard to diversify our enrollment and have it look more like enrollments across our state, and this year we've had some headway," she said.

The system's Chicago campus saw its second-highest enrollment this year with 33,906 students and the most notable increases in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs and the College of Nursing, according to the release.