Leaders at both Bloomington-Normal universities say they're pleased with their fall enrollment numbers as they confront the long-dreaded "demographic cliff."
Illinois State University in Normal saw its first decline in total enrollment since fall 2021, after a stretch of several record-breaking years. There are 21,557 students at ISU this fall, a 1.9% decline (417 students) from this time a year ago.
At the smaller Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, enrollment reached its highest total in the past decade: nearly 1,700 students.
Both campuses enrolled fewer new students, but that's hardly a surprise: ISU, IWU and educational institutions across the country have been bracing for the enrollment cliff. Those entering college now were born at the beginning of a population decline that began with the Great Recession and continues through today. This is not a one-time problem and will persist for several years.
ISU
Illinois State’s enrollment of 21,577 is a decrease from the previous year but still 31 students more than the fall 2024 semester, which was also a record at the time.
“I think we're pleased, even though we're down 1.9% in total enrollment, I think we're happy with the results,” said Jana Albrecht, ISU's associate vice president for enrollment management. “But we're also excited to start a new year and see the ways in which we can get better.”
ISU continues to have a high in-state student population, at 96%. The 1,840 transfer students represented a 7% increase from the previous year.
There are 3,891 first-time-in-college [FTIC] students, or 362 fewer than in fall 2025. This year's new students have an average GPA [grade point average] of 3.64, with over 1,000 of them at a 4.0 or higher. Incoming class GPA totals for the 2025 and 2024 fall semesters were 3.63 and 3.61, respectively.
"This is still our second largest total enrollment in the last 30 years. It's still our fifth largest class in the last 30 years. Our transfer class was up 7% and that's probably our highest in the last 10 years. We had a great Honors class," said Albrecht.
The university surveys students, including those who did not choose to enroll at ISU.
“And by and large this year, the students told us that it was affordability-type concerns or affordability-type issues,” said Albrecht.
She said the university can use these responses to set a strategy for financial aid packages.
“We will assess that here in October, and then we'll determine if we need to put additional money into our need-based program, additional dollars into our merit-based program, and by what we have seen initially, I think I think we will need to do that,” said Albrecht.
Back in May, campus officials attributed a decline in student deposits to more generous scholarship and aid packages offered by peer institutions.
One advantage: Albrecht said "Bloomington-Normal just really embraces the student community," including those at ISU, Illinois Wesleyan and Heartland Community College. She said prospective students "feel that when they come to visit, and when they decide to stay."
“I wouldn't want to be anywhere else,” said Albrecht. “And I think we do a pretty good job of telling that to incoming students, and they see it when they're actually on our campuses.”
IWU
Nearly 1,700 undergraduates are enrolled at Illinois Wesleyan for fall 2026, including 436 first-year students, meeting the University’s goals for filling out the student body.
"Students and families are making a thoughtful decision about where they will spend these important years," said Gaelyn Rose, vice president for enrollment, in a statement. "They see at Illinois Wesleyan a place where opportunity feels personal: faculty who know them, mentors who invest in them, and room to explore who they are and who they want to become. This is a unique college environment."
The nearly 1,700 students represent a nice rebound for IWU, which saw headcount dip down to 1,527 in 2022.
President Sheahon Zenger said any future growth plans at IWU will involve an "ongoing discussion with our board as we manage our fiscal environment."
“We're fortunate to be in a positive financial environment, and thankful to our board members and donors and the students who make that happen,” said Zenger. “We want to be very careful as we go forward, just how big we become. We have room to grow, but we don't need to necessarily grow much more. We don't have to, but we will with the right students in the right areas."
The university topped the 2025 fall semester’s enrollment despite fewer students in the incoming class [483] than in 2025 [595]. Zenger was pleased with university efforts to retain students.
“Very proud of how student affairs continues to create an environment for these students that they want to come back and achieve,” said Zenger.
A private university, IWU’s new students were selected from a pool of 9,415 applications.
Enrollments at public universities are tallied annually following the 10th day of fall classes.
