Illinois public colleges have a popularity problem
Gary Stocker on Illinois public university admissions rates & yield
We are pleased to be cross-posting research from Gary Stocker of College Viability on Illinois colleges. See also Gary’s piece about Ithaca College and other New York and New Jersey colleges.
Admissions yield is considered to be an indicator of a college's popularity with students it has already admitted. A higher admissions yield suggests that more students feel comfortable actually attending a college that has accepted them.
In the chart below, we can see only 1 Illinois public college has increased its yield from the last reported years (2014-2019). If you are considering any of the three highlighted colleges, make sure to ask them why their popularity with admitted students has decreased so much over such a long period of time.
In the 2nd chart, below, percent admitted is a comparative reflection of how selective a college is. Note that #2 and #4 accept a comparatively large percentage of students that apply. That's not a big deal by itself. However, it is fair to ask these colleges why they accept so many students. Do they need the tuition revenue? Are there academic standards too low? For comparison, the really selective colleges admit students at a rate in the single digits.
There are also questions about #1 and #3. Neither is know as a selective or elite college. Why don't they accept more students? It's a reasonable question to ask.
Combined with the percentage of students admitted . . . . .
CTAS Comments
Illinois is simultaneously experiencing a decline in high school graduate numbers and an outmigration of those decreasing high school graduates. Illinois high school graduation class sizes have fallen 7% since 2009 and WICHE projects a further decline by 2031 to a level 16% below 2009.
Just 52% of Illinois high school graduates went on to attend an Illinois college in 2018, vs a US average of 65%. This is the lowest number in the US excluding Alaska and the New England states, which see many high school graduates pursue college elsewhere in New England. So the number of high schoolers is falling and they are not particularly inclined to stay in-state.
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