The annual tradition of recruiting, orienting and formally welcoming students to campus has concluded at Northern Illinois University, and the official 10th-day count for the fall 2010 semester shows new student enrollment at 5,488. Overall, total NIU enrollment at the 10th-day official count is 23,850 students this fall.
NIU has released Fall 2010 enrollment numbers.
Though the 10th-day count represents a slightly lower overall enrollment from fall 2009 numbers, transfer student enrollment increased 9.2 percent to 2,294. This significant increase in transfer student enrollment at NIU this fall is an indication that a number of college-bound students who want to attend NIU are taking a less-costly path to the university.
“These figures support a trend that we’ve seen the past couple of years that many admitted students are choosing to postpone their NIU experience due to financial concerns,” said NIU Provost Raymond Alden. “With more Illinois high school graduates selecting community colleges as a starting point for their higher education we are especially pleased that transfer students are applying to and deciding to enroll at NIU in increasing numbers.”
Forty-four Illinois two-year colleges are represented in the fall transfer class.
On the whole, applications received by NIU for fall 2010 admission were up 12 percent (undergraduate applications were up 7 percent over fall 2009). Other NIU enrollment highlights include an increase in new doctoral students (3.3 percent) and a significant increase in new law students (7.1 percent).
“In this time of economic stress and increasing competition for students in our region, the depth of our academic offerings and our committed and caring faculty are the university’s greatest asset in preparing NIU students to compete in today’s challenging job market,” said NIU President John Peters.
According to Brian O. Hemphill, vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, the average GPA for this year’s admitted freshmen was 3.18, continuing a recent trend that applicants to NIU are bringing excellent credentials to the university. “Our enrollment staff works hard to build relationships and gain the trust of students and families throughout their college search process,” said Hemphill. “We are privileged to welcome these new students—undergraduate and graduate alike—and we look forward to continuing to serve and support them throughout their academic careers as Huskies.”
