CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Despite the challenging economic climate, Illinois has attracted a top-notch freshman class for the fall semester of 2011. It is diverse and reflects the university's statewide, national and international reputation.
As of Sept. 2, the 10th day of classes - traditionally used as the benchmark for enrollment figures - the number of freshmen enrolled stood at 7,255, compared with 6,936 in the fall semester of 2010. Of the freshmen enrolled, 5,626 are Illinois residents, compared with 5,508 last year.
Additionally, 1,052 Illinois residents are new transfer students this semester, compared with 885 last year.
The Urbana campus currently enrolls 31,932 undergraduate students.
Interim Chancellor Bob Easter said the class represents the best students in Illinois, across the nation and around the world.
"We are proud to be preparing the next generation of leaders," said Easter, who also is a vice president of the university. "The class of 2015 includes even more sons and daughters of Illinois than last year, and represents nearly every state in the country, as well as dozens of nations. Their academic credentials are impressive, and they have demonstrated their potential in leadership, service, the arts, athletics and much more."
The 2011-12 freshman class boasts an average ACT score of 28.2, the same as last year. More than 77 percent of freshmen are from Illinois, and they represent 91 of the state's 102 counties.
Since last year, the enrollment of new freshman Latino/a students increased from 508 to 538, while the number of new African American freshmen jumped from 359 last year to 401.
Students perennially say they choose Illinois for the rich learning environment created by the extraordinary range of extracurricular opportunities.
"When I first started applying to schools, the University of Illinois was not my first choice," said Urbana freshman David Van Vlierbergen. "However, in the end I chose Illinois because the College of Business impressed me and I knew it was where I wanted to spend my next four years."
The University of Illinois has campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield; total enrollment is about 79,000.
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