Freshman applications at NIU are down, while transfer student and graduate applications are up slightly from 1988.

NIU Director of Admissions Dan Oborn said there are two contributing factors to the 9.5 percent decline in freshman applications. Recently NIU has restricted enrollment. Also, this year there is a decrease in the number of high school graduates in Illinois, Oborn said.

The decrease in graduating high school students is expected to become a trend, he said.

NIU President John LaTourette said that a market analysis projected an 18 percent decline in high school seniors.

“We do see this as a very significant trend—that 18 percent is a large drop,” he said.

The decline in applications also is based on the restrictions placed on enrollment, Oborn said. NIU cut back freshman and transfer admissions for the 1988-89 school year.

Oborn said the restrictions on admissions were made to reduce overcrowding in classrooms.

“We are seeing this year, both at Northern and at ISU (Illinois State University), some drop-off in the number of applications. On the other hand, we are still being very selective in terms of the students that we get,” LaTourette said.

In 1988, there were 13,391 freshman applications. In 1989, the number of freshman applications dropped to 12,114.

The figures are based on applications compiled through April 1, 1989.

Although all of the NIU colleges have experienced decreased freshman applications, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences experienced the most significant decrease. Freshman applications in the college decreased by about 536.

Board of Regents Chancellor Roderick Groves’ report to the board states that freshman applications are down since last fall, but in 1988 NIU received the highest number of applications since the fall 1985 semester.

NIU, ISU and Sangamon State University are governed by the Board of Regents.

While the number of freshman applications is decreasing, undergraduate transfer and graduate student applications are increasing slightly.

LaTourette said the number of non-traditional students is increasing also.

Transfer student applications for 1989 increased 4 percent and graduate student applications increased 22.5 percent.

The College of Professional Studies was the only college to experience a decline in graduate student applications, a decrease of 40.