During Thursday's SIU Board of Trustees meeting Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane shared more details about the university's fall enrollment numbers.
This year's enrollment held steady with 11,785 students - down 5 from last fall.
Lane said they're seeing the payoff of several initiatives to bring more students to SIU. They've seen a 23% increase of online students by focusing on the adult student population.
After seeing students leave for neighboring states, SIU has worked on recruiting students from southern Illinois. The university saw a 6% increase of students from the region.
In addition to new students, Lane highlighted the 5% increase in the number of returning students. He said the university's goal is to not only get them to SIU, but to help them earn their degree.
Lane also released numbers from specific student populations. The number of Hispanic students enrolled increased by 10% and 9% for Asian students. When focused on southern Illinois, there was a 25% increase of Hispanic students.
