The 24,255 students enrolled at NIU this semester represent a decrease of 1,200 students from the fall of 1987, according to a report by Board of Regents Chancellor Roderick Groves.

This semester’s figure also marks a decrease of 425 students from the fall of 1986. According to the report, 71 percent of the 24,255 students enrolled at NIU are full-time students.

Undergraduate continuing students comprise the largest portion of the NIU student population. There are 12,077 full-time continuing students, about 3,000 freshmen and about 1,500 transfer students.

About 2,000 continuing students and 795 new students are enrolled in the NIU graduate school.

The only enrollment increase occurred in the law school, which is the NIU college that makes up the smallest portion of the total enrollment. The law school enrollment increased from 344 to 358 students since last fall.

Of NIU’s enrollment, females outnumber males by 10 percent. Enrollment statistics show that 55 percent of the student population is female and 45 percent is male.

Females also comprise a larger portion of the black and the white student populations than those of other ethnic groups. Females make up 56 percent of the white student population and 64 percent of the black student population.

The majority of students—86 percent—on campus are white. Black students make up 4.9 percent of the student population, followed by a 3 percent Asian population and a 2.2 percent Hispanic population.

Black student enrollment has increased slightly since the 1987 fall semester. Groves’ report states the increase was most noticeable among freshmen. The percentage of black freshmen increased from last fall’s figure of 9 percent to the current 12 percent. The actual number of black freshmen increased by 52. Two of the students are male and 50 are female.

Asian and Hispanic enrollment also increased slightly as a percentage of new freshman. These minorities currently total about 3 percent of the NIU undergraduate enrollment.