Eastern’s tenth day enrollment numbers for the fall 2022 semester reveal a 91.98% increase in international students, a 13.84% increase in graduate students, but show a decrease in undergraduate students.

Eastern’s enrollment numbers have increased this fall semester compared to the fall 2021 semester with an overall 2.89% increase, 249 more students. However, this increase is primarily caused by the increase in graduate students and high school dual credit students, which increased 13.84%, 236 students, and 2.06%, 47 students, respectively.

The total undergraduate students have decreased by 0.74%, 34 students.

International students increased by 91.98%. Last fall there were 399 international students, and this semester there are 766 students.

In total, Eastern’s headcount is at 8,857 students. However, many of these students are part of the high school dual credit program where high schoolers can take college courses through Eastern while still in high school. 

Without counting dual credit students, there are 6,532 graduate and undergraduate students at Eastern.

In total, Eastern has 2,325 dual credit students, 26.25% of the total headcount.

Graduate students account for 21.91% of the total headcount at 1,914 graduate students.

Undergraduate students account for over half of the total headcount at 51.83%, 4,591 undergraduate students.

Within the undergraduate students, 26.16% are freshmen, 16.62% are sophomores, 24.07% are juniors and 32.19% are seniors.

Of the 1,201 total freshmen, only 863, 71.86%, are new freshmen.

New freshmen are first time students, have never taken dual credit classes in high school and this is their first semester at a higher education level.

Of the 863 new freshmen, approximately 91 percent are Illinois residents, 28.51%, 246 new freshmen, are enrolled in the honors program and 30.59%, 264 new freshmen, reside within 60 miles of Eastern’s campus.

Graduates are split between part-time and full-time students with 51.16% being enrolled part-time and 48.84% are enrolled full-time.

For the tenth day enrollment figures, the institutional research department counts everyone based on their legal sex of male or female due to current state regulations.

Starting this year, the Illinois Board of Higher Education has updated a guideline for how public universities are required to calculate high school dual credit students. 

The new guidelines require the credit hours for all high school dual credit students to be added and then divided by 15. The 15 represents the amount of credit hours seen as the full time equivalent, FTE, mark.

Prior to the new guidelines, Eastern had been dividing the total credit hours by six. This change has gone into effect for the first time this semester, so when comparing the FTE count from this semester to any previous semester the change will not be accurate. 

At this time, Eastern has not officially decided how to reflect this calculation change in previous semesters enrollment count results.

Madelyn Kidd can be reached at 581-2812 or at dennewsdesk@gmail.com.