Only three of Illinois’ public universities—University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois-Chicago, and Illinois State University—have seen higher enrollment this fall compared to twenty years ago. According to the Illinois Policy Institute, these universities have also experienced the most significant decreases in state funding per student despite contributing most to statewide enrollment growth since 2006.
Nine other public universities in the state have lost students over the same period. Six have lost more than a third of their enrollment, and three have seen declines greater than half.
Mark Batinick, a former Illinois lawmaker and policy adviser for the Illinois Policy Institute, commented on the current funding approach: “Illinois should rethink how its universities are structured and funded. Schools should be encouraged to specialize and build strengths in specific fields, and funding should reflect enrollment trends and the true per-student cost. Instead, the state appears poised to incentivize failure by sending more money to campuses that are losing students and graduating a fewer percentage of those who attend. That approach is especially dangerous as the enrollment decline driven by the drop in birth rates following the 2008 Great Recession is just beginning to reach our colleges.”
Batinick added: “Illinois’ funding system ignores what students are actually choosing. When enrollment shifts toward certain universities, state funding should follow those students. Instead, the current and proposed formula protects decline and penalizes growth. Universities that are attracting more students often end up with less funding per student, leaving them with fewer resources to expand programs and facilities or rein in tuition. If we truly want to fix higher education funding, control costs and keep more young people in Illinois, the money needs to follow the student.”
Since 2009, full-time tuition and fees at state universities have increased by an average of 66%, which is higher than inflation rates. The state now has some of the highest in-state tuition costs nationally while also spending nearly the most per full-time public university student.
Illinois has reported one of the largest net losses of degree-seeking undergraduates among all states. Demographic trends suggest that by 2041, college enrollment could drop by almost one-third due to declining birth rates.
The Illinois Policy Institute operates as an independent nonprofit think tank headquartered in Chicago that focuses on policy analysis within Illinois. It provides data-driven solutions on topics like education funding through research aimed at promoting fiscal responsibility and government reform (https://www.illinoispolicy.org). The organization seeks to advance free-market principles and limited government policies designed to enhance economic opportunity across Illinois (https://www.illinoispolicy.org).
For further information about higher education enrollment trends in Illinois, visit illin.is/highered.
