SIU enrollment tumbles further

SIU's enrollment on its Carbondale campus remains at its lowest level in more than 50 years, following the release of spring enrollment numbers this week.
SIU officials say 14,636 students are enrolled at the university this semester -- a 7.4 percent tumble from last spring's 15,806. The decrease marks the university's lowest enrollment since the early 1960s and the first time in decades that the student head-count has fallen below 15,000.
Spring enrollment is always lower than fall enrollment due to December graduation, Interim Chancellor Brad Colwell said, and this week's numbers reflect general consistency with the low enrollment figures reported last fall.
“This means that we held our ground,” Colwell said. “Typically spring semester figures are a direct reflection of what we have seen in the fall.”
There were 1,383 students scheduled to graduate in December, which correlates closely with the 1,351 difference between the fall 2016 enrollment of 15,987 and spring enrollment of 14,636.