DeKalb, IL – Northern Illinois University saw its new freshman enrollment climb this fall by nearly 7% over the same time last year—the sixth straight year of increases in the size of the freshman class.

According to the official census on the 10th day of attendance, total freshman enrollment for fall 2022 increased to 2,440, up 155 students over last fall. It’s the largest freshman class since 2014. Additionally, the freshman Huskies arrive with an impressive average high school GPA of 3.42, the highest average for new freshmen on record.

Nearly 20% of incoming freshmen, or 472 students, had 4.0 high school GPAs (compared to 371 or 16% last fall), with each earning a merit scholarship of $7,000. Similarly, NIU continues to trend higher in new freshmen with a high school GPA of 3.7 or higher, now approaching nearly 40%.

Looking at other characteristics of the incoming class, 56% of the new freshmen are first-generation college students. NIU continues to have success recruiting students of color, with increases in the percentages of Asian and Latinx students, and strong representation among Black students. The new freshman class is the most diverse in university history.

“Guided by our multi-year planning efforts, we have removed barriers to a high-quality college education and are attracting robust numbers of talented freshmen who reflect the diversity of our region,” NIU President Dr. Lisa C. Freeman said. “Despite the challenges of the past two years, we continue to see very positive enrollment trends in other key areas, including enrollment increases among international students and in our University Honors Program. Additionally, more Huskies are choosing to live on campus, adding to our community’s vibrancy.”

The overall number of newly enrolled international students climbed from 246 students a year ago to 326 this fall. Similarly, total enrollment of international students grew by 30% to 966 students. The University Honors Program enrolled 283 freshmen—a 50% increase over last fall. NIU Housing and Residential Services reports an occupancy of 3,973 students, the highest occupancy figure since the fall of 2015.

Total NIU enrollment for fall 2022 is 15,649, a decrease of 3.6% from a year ago. Overall, both undergraduate and Graduate School enrollment decreased. The decline was anticipated in the wake of impacts of the prolonged pandemic, including steep declines in the pipeline of community college students, pandemic related stresses on students and a strong job market that might have enticed some students to delay their education.

“Nationwide, it became challenging during the pandemic for students to stay focused on their studies and engage with support networks designed to help them succeed,” Provost Beth Ingram said. “We have invested, and continue to invest, substantial resources aimed at supporting our Huskies. This fall, we’re already seeing heightened engagement among students at events such as Week of Welcome activities and the Involvement Fair.”

The university’s success in recruiting new freshmen is directly tied to a combination of innovative new admissions policies, which include the following.

• Recognizing that students’ hard work in high school is reflected in their grades, NIU became one of the nation’s first public universities to announce test-free admissions and merit scholarship processes.
• Eliminating the use of standardized tests in merit scholarship eligibility served to make the process more equitable and diversify NIU’s pool of scholarship applicants and recipients. Of 1,910 freshman merit scholarship recipients this fall, 67% are students of color.
• The Rockford Promise Program at NIU, now in its second year, guarantees that tuition and general fee costs will be met by gift aid such as grants and scholarships for up to four years at NIU. The university welcomed 133 new freshmen who qualified for the program, up from 96 last fall.
• This year NIU and other state schools entered formal partnerships with Hope Chicago, an innovative scholarship program committed to investing $1 billion over the next decade in postsecondary scholarships to Chicago Public School (CPS) students and their parents. The university welcomed 61 Hope Scholars this fall.
• NIU’s Huskie Pledge program, funded by the State of Illinois’ AIM HIGH Program, continues to ensure that qualifying Illinois students from lower-income households can attend college with no tuition or general fees for their first year and potentially beyond. This fall, 987 incoming freshmen were eligible and did not have to pay out-of-pocket expenses for tuition and general fees.
• NIU also eliminated undergraduate application fees and joined the Common App in August 2020 to reduce barriers for students in their pursuit of higher education. The Common App gives students a way to apply to NIU and multiple other colleges with one online application. The university saw a 55% increase this fall in the total number of freshman applicants over 2020.

“In addition to removing barriers to higher education, we’re leveraging our strong academic programs,” said Sol Jensen, NIU vice president for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Communications. “Along the way, we’ve recruited a very diverse and strong freshman class of high achieving students.”

Media Contact: Joe King

About NIU

Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits its region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields, including the sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering, education, health and law. Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers for students and working professionals in Chicago, Naperville, Oregon and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 areas of study while serving a diverse and international student body.