The Illinois Board of Higher Education and Governor JB Pritzker announced on Friday that enrollment at public universities in Illinois reached the highest level since 2015, with more than 190,000 students enrolled during the fall semester of the 2026-27 academic year.
Total student enrollment across Illinois’ 12 public universities increased to 190,114 students, up 287 students from last year.
While overall numbers increased there was a drop in international student enrollment, in Fall 2026, total international enrollment decreased by 14.2%, to 3,147 students.
