CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Despite the challenging economic climate, Illinois has attracted a top-notch freshman class for the fall semester of 2010. It is diverse and reflects the university’s national and international reputation.
As of Sept. 7, the 10th day of classes – traditionally used as the benchmark for enrollment figures – the number of freshmen enrolled stood at 6,936, compared with 6,991 in the fall semester of 2009. Of the freshmen enrolled, 5,508 are Illinois residents. Additionally, 885 Illinois residents are new transfer students this semester. The Urbana campus currently enrolls 31,252 undergraduate students, 25,465 (81.5 percent) are Illinois residents.
Chancellor Bob Easter said the campus will provide the incoming freshmen with a world-class education.
“We are delighted to welcome this outstanding group of young men and women, and we have worked hard to create an environment in which they can develop the knowledge and skills to become leaders of their generation,” Easter said.
The 2010-11 freshman class boasts an average ACT score of 28.2 and an average class rank in the 88.7 percentile. Seventy-nine percent of the students are from Illinois; 21 percent of the class is from 39 states and 41 nations.
Since last year, the enrollment of new Latino/a students increased from 457 to 508 (or by 11.2 percent), while the number of new African American students decreased, from 436 to 359 (17.7 percent). The campus is analyzing the data to determine areas in which it can ensure that minority students find Illinois an attractive option.
Students perennially say they choose Illinois for the rich learning environment created by the wide selection of majors, the diversity of the campus, the excellence of the faculty and the extraordinary range of extracurricular opportunities.
“Illinois’ vast opportunities were its biggest selling point,” says Julia Weiss, a freshman who graduated from New Trier Township High School in Illinois and is majoring in East Asian languages. “I can take class in any subject that piques my curiosity, and there are so many different organizations I knew I’d be able to find my niche.”
