Despite having a 5 percent drop in overall enrollment for the second consecutive semester, the NIU community saw an increase in the freshman population for the first time in six years.

Officials anticipate the overall decline to continue for at least one more year, which they credit with incoming classes being too small to offset losses sustained from previous graduating classes, according to a Sept. 12 press release. Additionally, a decline in high school and in-state university enrollment for Illinois is to blame.

The 2.8 percent increase in the freshman class was joined by a 1.9 percent increase in enrollment for the College of Law when compared to fall 2016, according to an official enrollment summary. Among the populations to see the largest declines were the on-campus graduates, which dropped by 9.6 percent, and new undergraduates outside of the freshmen and transfer populations, which dropped by 11 percent.

“There’s reason for optimism [about enrollment]; there’s good news,” acting President Lisa Freeman said during a Wednesday University Council meeting.

Freeman said among this good news is the fact the incoming class had a mean grade-point average of 3.28, which is the highest mean in more than a decade, according to the press release.

“We’ve been able to attract more qualified students because of the work that’s been done to ensure the quality of our academic programs and our student experience and to provide students with a safe campus,” Freeman said during the meeting.

Despite this sense of optimism, officials plan to combat the overall decline by attempting to increase the sizes of incoming classes and improve the retention rate, according to the press release.

Sol Jenson, vice president for Enrollment Management, said he hopes to execute this by expanding the more “targeted, personalized and focused” marketing efforts officials implemented during the past year, according to the press release.

It is these efforts that helped create the increase in the freshman class, Jenson said.

“NIU offers students a high-quality, personalized and affordable education, and we’re encouraged to see that our increased efforts to market the university resulted in a larger freshman class,” Jenson said.