Chicago State Has Only 86 Freshmen Enrolled This Fall

Chicago State Has Only 86 Freshmen Enrolled This Fall

Chicago State University has been dealing with massive budget problems for at least a year now. This is what the higher ed bubble looks like.

The Chicago Tribune reports:

Only 86 freshmen at Chicago State University, as total enrollment drops 25 percent

Chicago State University enrolled just 86 freshmen this fall, an alarming drop as the embattled public institution faces an uncertain future.

Overall, the university now has fewer than half the number of total students it did six years ago. There are 3,578 students taking classes at the Far South Side campus this fall, down from 7,362 students in 2010, according to university figures released Tuesday. The numbers include 2,352 undergraduates and 1,226 graduate students.

While enrollment has been declining for years, the past year has been particularly troubling. Overall enrollment is down 25 percent, and undergraduate enrollment is down 32 percent in one year, the largest decline of any public university in the state. The 86 freshmen includes both full-time and part-time students — smaller than a kindergarten cohort at many Chicago Public Schools.

The enrollment trends are the latest concern for Chicago State, with some questioning how the public school will survive — and what it might look like. Students and faculty, desperate to see the historic school survive, are growing disillusioned and losing hope that revival is around the corner.

Featured image is a screen cap.

Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.