“CHAMPAIGN – After years of pursuing higher-paying international students and watching in-state enrollment fall, the University of Illinois’ flagship campus shifted course this year, increasing financial aid for students from Illinois but also taking the unusual step of accepting lower test scores.”
You can find the rest of the article at the State Journal Register (sj-r .com).
By the way, the drop in ACT scores was from 28.86 to 28.28.
According to UIUC’s net price calculator at https://secure.osfa.illinois.edu/NPC/NPC.asp , an Illinois resident dependent student majoring in computer science or mechanical engineering with a FAFSA EFC = $0 will see a net price of $15,197. For a history or math major, the net price shown is $13,045 (i.e. looks like different prices for different divisions based on major). That is still probably more than the student can come up with from federal direct loans and work earnings.
The base tuition rate is $6,018 (12+ credits) a semester. Other majors, such as Business and Engineering are charged higher rates, up to $8,520 a semester.
http://www.registrar.illinois.edu/ug-tuition-cr-1516
While in-state enrollment is up, so is international student enrollment.
If you compare 2015 numbers with 2014, you’ll see that overall enrollment INCREASED. From 6,937 in 2014 to 7,565 in 2015. That’s how they increased in-state enrollment. In-state enrollment went from 71% to 72.6%, we’ll have to wait see if this is a trend, or if this is nothing more than a one time increase in enrollment.
http://www.dmi.illinois.edu/stuenr/
On the ACT scores, keep in mind that since you apply to your major, the ranges of accepted ACT scores will also vary by major. Division of General Studies range is 25-30, while Engineering is 31 to 34. An overall ACT score of 28.28 doesn’t really tell us the whole story…
And did the ACT score drop because of an initiative to recruit more in-state students or simply as a result of increasing enrollment (to generate more tuition revenue and/or to placate the state legislature)?
Since admissions is a zero-sum game, does admitting more students w low test scores mean UIUC is rejecting more students w high test scores?
Yes, it’s an interesting situation for the school. Engineering, business and a few other selective admission majors have students paying higher tuition rates, because of popularity and the strength of the programs. They are sought after majors at a school that direct admits into college/majors freshman year.
Strong out-of state and international students are often willing to pay high tuition rates for the privilege of attending. In-state students are being ‘squeezed’ into fewer seats, which translates into disgruntled in-state hopefuls. Many ‘good’ in-state students can’t get direct admitted to their desired major, so they have to choose whether they want to risk being unsuccessful in their inter-college transfer attempt.
Gator88NE makes good points about the increase in overall enrollment, especially if that increase is in less selective majors.
The school may admit more total students; if so, the additional students admitted are presumably at the low end of academic qualifications compared to the students who would have been admitted without admitting more total students.
it would also not be a surprise if an increase in total students admitted were mainly in less selective majors or divisions that are not at full capacity, rather than the majors or divisions that are more selective because they are at full capacity.
Freshman enrollment by college is available:
2015 Academic College (Number/ Percent)
Agr, Cons, Env Sci 470 6.2%
Applied Health Sci 232 3.1%
Business 618 8.2%
Education 147 1.9%
Engineering 1622 21.4%
Fine & Applied Arts 319 4.2%
General Studies 1757 23.2%
Liberal Arts & Sci 2220 29.3%
Media 129 1.7%
School of Social Work 51 0.7%
Total 7565 100.0%
2014 Academic College(Number/Percent)
Agr, Cons, Env Sci 436 6.3%
Applied Health Sci 196 2.8%
Business 571 8.2%
Education 131 1.9%
Engineering 1566 22.6%
Fine & Applied Arts 303 4.4%
General Studies 1474 21.2%
Liberal Arts & Sci 2074 29.9%
Media 156 2.2%
School of Social Work 30 0.4%
Total 6937 100.0%
Engineering increased by 56, but overall percent of enrollment went from 22.6% down to 21.4%.
Business increased by 47, but overall enrollment stayed the same at 8.2%.
The largest increase (as a percentage) was in General Studies, up to 23.2% from 21.2% (an increase of 283 students).
So, yes, most of the increase was in less selective majors.
That doesn’t look like a statistically significant drop. It just looks like a year to year variation.
Bonus fun stats…lets compare 2006 to 2015.
2006:
Total Freshman Enrollment: 7,172
88.2% in-state
18 freshman students from China (161 from South Korea)
Residency for Tuition: 89% in-state, 11% OOS/International
2015:
Total Freshman Enrollment: 7,565
72.6% In-state
781 freshman students from China (103 from South Korea)
Residency for Tuition: 73.1% in-state, 26.9% OOS/International
General Studies appears to have just one “major”, undeclared. Students switch to a different division after declaring a major.
Looks like Liberal Arts and Science, the largest division, stayed about the same in percentage (29.9% to 29.3%). It does look like the various majors in that division have greatly varying levels of impaction and presumably selectivity at whatever admissions gates exist.
Another way to look at it…
Overall Enrollment increased by **9%/b
Engineering Enrollment increased by **3.6%/b
General Studies Enrollment increased by **19.2%/b
A 9% enrollment increase is significant, as is the difference between the growth of General Studies, versus the more selective Engineering college.
Not that it’s relevant for anything but total costs, but don’t forget that in addition to tuition there are campus fees of $1,795 per semester for everyone. UIUC’s tuition costs always look artificially low because those significant fees are not included. For a business or engineering major, tuition and fees alone are over $20,000 a year IN STATE. It will still take a lot of financial aid to make that affordable for many Illinois students.
For UIUC engineering student starting in 2015, tuition, fees, and housing is about $18k a year. Sad thing is that is not even the most expense undergrad program in the University of Illinois system. Tuition and fees, not including housing, for UIC BS Nursing is $19k a year.
These major specific fees really didn’t exist until ten years ago. There were lab fees and engineering students did have a higher tuition but that was all. In 2004, a law was passed stating tuition must be fixed for 4 years. The schools quickly determined a way around the law was to increase fees, and thus began the major specific fees.
made a mistake, tuition and fees for a new engineering student at UIUC is about $20k a year. Historically, UIC nursing has been higher than UIUC engineering.
UIUC engineering tuition is $17,040 plus estimated $18,300 for fees, room and board, books, etc. About $35,000 total
It’s about time that colleges such as UIUC lowered tuition for state residents. Relatively expensive state schools like Rutgers should do the same.
They can’t lower tuition because the state keeps on decreasing funding.